Summary
Elvira Alvarado, a 70-year-old Colombian marine biologist, is working to save endangered coral reefs in Colombia. She uses a method called coral IVF to reproduce coral, addressing issues like diseases and rising ocean temperatures that have severely harmed the reefs since the 1970s.
Key Facts
- Elvira Alvarado is known as the "mother of coral" for her work in coral reef restoration.
- She is pioneering coral IVF, a technique involving fertilizing coral eggs and sperm in a lab.
- Coral reefs are vital as they provide food and shelter for about 4,000 fish species and protect coastlines.
- Since the 1970s, over half of the Caribbean's coral has died due to disease and warming seas.
- Alvarado works from San Andrés, a Colombian island in the Caribbean Sea.
- She was inspired by TV shows and prominent oceanographer Jacques Cousteau in her early life.
- Alvarado continues to dive, teach, and research despite being 70 years old.
