Iberostar hotel chain announced the inauguration of their Coral Lab in Bávaro, Punta Cana. The effort gives continuity to earlier initiatives by the Punta Cana Group in the southern part of the more than 50 km long Punta Cana beach strip.
Coral Lab is part of the Wave of Change movement by Iberostar that is finding ways to eliminate and replace single-use plastics with alternative eco-friendly materials, and promote responsible consumption of seafood and coastal health in general. The chain has 120 hotels worldwide.
Marine biologist Megan Morikawa, who is the corporate head of Iberostar Sustainability Office, said the laboratory is working to combat stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD). The disease was first reported in Florida in 2014 and has spared south affecting 20 species of corals.
Morikawa says that with the lab is sort of an Ark of Noah for the coral reef species. The Coral Lab will house 10 species and 180 individual corals. Built in what was once a yoga beach hut, it operates with scientific rigor and is open to visitors. Children guests at the hotel that participate in the Star camp can visit and learn about the environment.
Morikawa explained that coral reefs are home to a third of the biodiversity of the planet.
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11 June 2019