Empowering ocean stakeholders to tackle future challenges and ensure the survival of coral reefs and humanity

2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of The Reef-World Foundation’s tireless efforts for global coral reef conservation. The UK charity is the international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, known as the leading voice in sustainable marine tourism. Today, Reef-World released its 2023-2024 Impact Report outlining a year of substantive growth and impact in its marine conservation programmes. 

Impact Report Highlights:

• Impressive improvements in environmental behaviours to protect coral reefs by the marine tourism industry as the global participation of Green Fins increases.
• Continued capacity building for government and NGO staff to effectively manage marine tourism activities in Asia, Caribbean and Red Sea regions. 
• For the first time in Green Fins’ 20-year history, tourism operators have achieved ‘Best Environmental Performer’ status by demonstrating the lowest possible environmental impact in their environmental assessments. In 2024, three dive operators achieved this challenging milestone. 
• Significant increases in global participation of Reef-World’s innovative digital conservation tools.
• 138 Green Fins dive operator members achieved the strict threshold for PADI Eco Center recognition.
• Developed four new educational materials and translated two into 16 languages to support the marine tourism industry in achieving sustainability targets.
• Establishing a new Reef-World Development strategy and recruiting new roles – Development and Programmes Managers. 
• Reef-World’s board welcomes new Chair and Trustees strengthening organisational leadership. 

Reef-World started as a one-person mission to inspire and empower communities to act in conserving and sustainably developing coral reefs and related ecosystems. Today, the team of 12 continues to meet this mission by inspiring and empowering the global marine tourism community to be exemplary sustainability leaders by using the Green Fins guidelines and tools to simultaneously use and protect the world’s precious reefs. 

In April 2024, the fourth global coral reef bleaching event was confirmed. Reef-World’s work has never been more urgent as the marine environment, and the benefits they provide humanity, continue to be eroded by global threats. The reduction of local threats, like those from the marine tourism industry, is an essential step to ensuring a future where coral reefs survive and continue to support the millions of people who depend on their ecosystem benefits. Reef-World’s work buys time for coral reefs and related ecosystems to be resilient to the impacts of global threats. 

“Right now our corals are facing the greatest fight of their existence as the terrifying predictions of the steps towards their complete extinction are starting to come true. But all is not lost, reefs are resilient and they have existed on this planet for millions of years. We must take action now, to buy time for reefs by reducing threats facing them and allowing them to react and adjust to the changing environment they need to survive in.” – Chloe Harvey, Executive Director

Looking Forwards: 

Like coral reefs, the Reef-World team needs to be resilient in the face of the complex challenges of the conservation sector. Reef-World has invested significantly in developing a Culture of Care to ensure the well-being of its team on a daily basis, continuing to be an exemplary employer to enable its team to best achieve the mission for coral reef conservation.

With the foundations of a Culture of Care and organisational development laid, Reef-World is emerging from the end of a natural organisation life cycle, that brings the challenges of growth and scale, stronger than ever. With a new strategy in place to generate much needed resources, Reef-World is excited for the opportunities to leap forward, continue to scale our impact and lean into new innovations and untapped opportunities for marine conservation. 

We continually strive to become a forward-thinking organisation that delivers on our goals and commitments to our stakeholders with fresh approaches and not being afraid of steering away from a “normal approach.” This approach is not only applied to our programmes of work but also internally and carries over to our Culture of Care for our team.” — JJ Harvey, Operations Director

The Reef-World Foundation is immensely grateful for the continued support of its grant funders: UN Environment Programme, IUCN’s Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility, Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, PADI Aware Foundation, and World Nomads Footprints Program.

Reef-World would also like to express its gratitude to international partners whose vital support has resulted in significant tangible benefits for our work and mission: PADI; Professional SCUBA Schools International (PSS); Explorer Ventures; 1% for the Planet; ZuBlu; Snorkel Venture, GSTC; Dive O’Clock; Seven Dragons; DiveAssure and Eco Beach, without whom these achievements would not be possible.

The full 2023–2024 Annual Impact Report is available on Reef-World’s website.

Encounters with cuttlefish at Wakatobi are an everyday occurrence, offering divers the chance to witness these other-worldly creatures up close. With their eight arms, three hearts, and blue blood coursing through their gelatinous bodies, cuttlefish may seem like something from another planet. However, they thrive in abundant numbers along the vibrant reefs of Wakatobi, making the area one of the best places in the world to observe and photograph these fascinating marine animals.

Cuttlefish are a dream subject for photographers, not only because they are often cooperative but also because they can be quite entertaining. These creatures are known for their remarkable ability to change color and patterns in the blink of an eye, transforming their appearance from one shot to the next. Sometimes, they blend seamlessly into coral reefs or seagrass beds, making them nearly invisible unless they choose to reveal themselves. Known as “the chameleons of the sea,” cuttlefish possess a unique skill: they can rapidly shift their skin color and texture, using chromatophores—specialized pigment cells—along with iridophores, which create iridescent flashes, to communicate, hypnotize prey, or simply blend into their surroundings.

These mesmerizing displays are particularly striking during courtship. Male cuttlefish vie for dominance without direct physical contact, intimidating rivals until one backs down. The larger male will eventually grab the female with his tentacles and insert sperm sacs into an opening near her mouth. The male then stays close to the female until she lays her eggs.

Cuttlefish encounters at Wakatobi can happen on almost any dive. From the shallow grass beds to deeper reef areas, these creatures roam the vibrant waters, often moving in small groups. Broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) are the most commonly seen species in Wakatobi, reaching lengths of over a foot. If you’re lucky enough to be diving at night, particularly on a cruise aboard the Pelagian, you might spot the flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi). This smaller species doesn’t swim like others; instead, it crawls along the seafloor, flashing vibrant colors as it moves.

While cuttlefish are not currently considered endangered, human impacts do pose a risk to these intelligent creatures. In some regions, they are harvested for food or their cuttlebone, which is used in the pet trade as a calcium supplement for birds. Thankfully, in protected areas like Wakatobi’s marine preserve, cuttlefish continue to thrive.

When diving at Wakatobi, keep an eye out for these sleek, iridescent hunters. Whether camouflaged or displaying their incredible color-changing abilities, cuttlefish offer a captivating glimpse into the wonders of the underwater world.

Ready for some amazing marine life encounters?  Complete a quick trip inquiry at wakatobi.com, or contact their office at office@wakatobi.com.

Visit Wakatobi on Facebook and Instagram.

Great Wakatobi videos on Wakatobi’s YouTube channel.