San Francisco Frontiers - Colombian ex-fisherman swaps trade for saving Caribbean coral

The 56-year-old from the city of Santa Marta now earns his keep saving coral, which is vital for marine biodiversity.

"We used to destroy them," Granados told AFP, his body half-submerged in the sea and diving goggles concealing his face.

"We didn't know it was a living being. They looked like rocks to us."

Forty-four percent of the world's coral species face extinction, mainly due to climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated in 2024.

When he discovered the pressing need to preserve coral, Granados swapped his dynamite, nets and anchors for a diving suit, which he uses to plunge to the depths of the sea to attach coral fragments to an artificial reef in a bid to repopulate the area.

He was the first fisherman to retrain as an environmental defender under a pioneering project to replenish the Caribbean coral ecosystem.

CIM Caribbean Foundation estimates that it has planted 1.5 hectares worth of 20 different coral species thanks to the team of former fishermen.

The NGO is hoping to plant 36 hectares of coral by 2030, which scientific director Diana Tarazona calls reviving "underwater cities."

"Working with them (the former fishermen) means gaining insight into what lies beyond the literature, which is that innate knowledge they have" about the sea, she said.

A typical workday for Granados entails diving 10 metres below the surface with an oxygen tank to monitor the precious gardens.

The corals spend months growing in an incubator before transplantation.

Once underwater, they become "houses for the fish," he said.

Kevin Monsalvo, 26, has followed in the footsteps of Granados and said things are different for him since he learned more about the organism threatened with extinction.

"Life has changed quite a lot for me, because we didn't know what a coral was," he said.

"For me, a coral is life now."

B.Turner--SFF