FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2026
Seatrees Launches Coral Biodiversity Blocks from Costa Rica, Expanding the Innovative Marine Biodiversity Credit System
The new project, which supports coral reef restoration in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, is the third project to issue Seatrees Biodiversity Blocks. The launch is accompanied by Symbiosis, a documentary film now available on YouTube.
ENCINITAS, CA — June 18, 2026 — Seatrees, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to ocean restoration, today announced the launch of its newest Biodiversity Blocks project in Costa Rica, funding coral reef restoration in one of the world's most biodiverse marine environments. The Costa Rica project is the second to issue biodiversity credits under the Seatrees Biodiversity Blocks program and the third to launch globally. The announcement coincides with the premiere of Symbiosis, a documentary exploring coral reef restoration and the breakthrough credit system funding it, now streaming free on YouTube.
Seatrees Biodiversity Blocks are one of the most innovative marine biodiversity credit systems available on the market today. Developed as a rigorous, transparent mechanism for channeling private finance into ocean ecosystem restoration, Biodiversity Blocks represent a new model for conservation funding — one that ties every dollar to science-based restoration activities and measurable ecological outcomes. The Costa Rica project is issuing 4,000 Coral Blocks in 2026 at $40 each, with additional Blocks anticipated in future years as restoration work expands. Blocks are available for purchase at seatrees.org.
The Costa Rica project is implemented in partnership with Raising Coral, a Costa Rican nonprofit with nearly a decade of reef restoration experience along the country's Pacific coast. Together, Seatrees and Raising Coral are scaling coral restoration across two of the Osa Peninsula's most ecologically significant reef systems: Golfo Dulce and Caño Island Biological Reserve.
Restoring the Reefs of the Osa Peninsula
Costa Rica’s Pacific reefs are under significant pressure. The 2023–24 El Niño event triggered widespread coral bleaching and loss across the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Combined with chronic sedimentation from land use and growing tourism, these reefs cannot rely solely on natural recovery. They need active intervention.
Seatrees and Raising Coral are addressing this directly, with a plan to rear and outplant 4,000 corals across Golfo Dulce and Caño Island from 2026 through 2029. Restoration is guided by lessons from the last El Niño, by prioritizing thermally tolerant corals that survived past bleaching events, instituting bleaching rapid-response protocols, and deploying modular structures called Reef Stars that can be relocated in the event of severe bleaching. In addition to restoration, the project emphasizes community engagement, employing members of the local community as coral gardeners and conducting regular outreach and educational events.
Project sites are home to over 200 reef fish species, green and hawksbill sea turtles, whale sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, humpback whales, and critically threatened coral species. The project has established a 34% average biodiversity uplift target, grounded in 45 years of scientific data and new baseline assessments. More details about the baseline assessment and restoration approach can be found in the Project Description document.
“Resilience is not just something you hope for; it’s something you build. With thermally tolerant coral, advanced monitoring, and an engaged community, our coral reefs are ready to take on the challenge of climate change" said Marylaura Sandoval, Manager of Raising Coral’s South Pacific Program.
Technology-Driven Monitoring
One of the most distinctive features of this project is the way it uses consumer technology to conduct cutting-edge reef science. Raising Coral’s field team uses Galaxy S26 Ultra mobile phones equipped with Ocean Mode to capture high-resolution images of coral reefs. Designed to optimize underwater image capture, Ocean Mode helps improve color accuracy and enables consistent image collection for reef monitoring and photogrammetry. This approach is dramatically faster and easier to deploy than traditional DSLR camera rigs, enabling more frequent and consistent monitoring across project sites.
Using a process called photogrammetry, images from the field are processed to produce detailed 3D models of the reef by the Sandin Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. These models are analyzed for biodiversity uplift over time, tracking coral growth, reef structural complexity, and benthic community recovery. A time series of 3D reconstructions provides unprecedented scientific evidence of restoration impact and drives the data behind Biodiversity Block credit issuances.
“Photogrammetry is adding accuracy, it’s adding transparency, and it’s helping us communicate visually to communities and partners what restoration looks like. And having Ocean Mode-equipped Galaxy devices as the tool for photogrammetry is giving access to a lot of groups that didn’t have access before.” said Marylaura Sandoval, Manager of Raising Coral’s South Pacific Program.
A New Model for Biodiversity Finance
Seatrees Biodiversity Blocks were first issued in 2024 through the organization’s mangrove restoration project in Marereni, Kenya, marking a landmark moment for marine biodiversity credit markets. The Costa Rica coral project is the third project to issue credits under the system, extending Biodiversity Blocks into coral reef ecosystems for the first time and demonstrating that the model works across fundamentally different geographies and marine habitats.
Each Biodiversity Block represents one coral outplanted, plus the full suite of stewardship activities that make restoration effective: long-term ecological monitoring, community training and employment of local coral gardeners, bleaching contingency planning, restoration research, and annual impact reporting. Credits are issued on the Regen Network Registry under the Seatrees Crediting Protocol for Marine Restoration v3.2, a peer-reviewed scientific methodology.
With 4,000 credits available at $40 each — and more to follow in future years — the Costa Rica launch opens a direct pathway for individuals, businesses, and institutions to fund measurable coral reef recovery. At scale, the Biodiversity Blocks model has the potential to dramatically increase the flow of private capital into coral reef conservation globally, an ecosystem that has historically struggled to access the structured finance available to terrestrial and carbon markets.
“Coral reef restoration and protection can enter a golden era through new science, technology and empowered communities, but only if the financial world can exponentially increase its support. Biodiversity Blocks provide a scalable financial model that measures positive impact for reefs and communities, while simultaneously improving project quality and reducing project costs.” said Kevin Whilden, Co-Founder, Seatrees.
Symbiosis: Watch The Film
Symbiosis is a documentary film that brings the story of the Costa Rica project, and the Biodiversity Blocks system, to life. The film follows Raising Coral’s team of coral gardeners, scientists, and community members as they work to restore one of the most biodiverse reef systems in the Eastern Pacific, and explores how a new model of biodiversity finance is changing what’s possible for ocean conservation.
Symbiosis is available to watch for free on YouTube.
About Seatrees
Seatrees is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores ocean ecosystems globally. Seatrees designs, funds, and scales marine restoration programs — including mangrove, seagrass, kelp and coral reef projects — using a blend of individual donations, corporate partnerships, and innovative biodiversity finance tools including Biodiversity Blocks. Seatrees is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, with a new public exhibit space called The Sea House, in Encinitas, California. Learn more at seatrees.org.
About Raising Coral
Raising Coral is a Costa Rican nonprofit and a leading force for coral restoration in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Since 2016, Raising Coral has outplanted more than 6,000 corals across Golfo Dulce. Their community-centered approach trains and compensates local coral gardeners, and has built a growing movement of reef stewards across the Osa Peninsula. Learn more at raisingcoral.org.
Media Contact
Alena Riggs
Communications Director, Seatrees
alena@seatrees.org | 949-350-7607
www.seatrees.org