In 2021, together with Coral Guardian, we founded the Deep Core Project, a pioneering initiative for the restoration and conservation of a reef that is at risk due to uncontrolled waste in the SAC Cliffs and Seabeds of Punta de la Mona, Granada. Thanks to the Blue Center call from Coral Guardian, the organization contributes its expertise and scientific knowledge to the project, as well as financial support to ensure its successful development over the years.

In 2024, the Deep Core Project was awarded the Pleamar call by the Biodiversity Foundation, and until 2026 it will be co-financed by Coral Guardian and FEMPA, the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund. This expands the project’s objectives to other marine areas in Granada included in the Natura 2000 Network (SAC Cliffs and Tesorillo-Salobreña Seabeds and Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural Area).

To achieve this goal, we focus on the accelerated restoration of coral seabeds through integrated actions that increase the resilience of the area, mitigate impacts, and foster collaborative work among stakeholders, through several specific objectives:

• O1. Communication Plan: We inform, raise awareness, and engage all stakeholders about the importance of coral seabed restoration and conservation, while highlighting the work of the fishing sector and its involvement in marine conservation.

• O2. Sanitation of Marine Protected Areas: We remove waste that degrades habitats, threatens populations, and contaminates the ecosystem, eliminating the sources of impacts.

• O3. Orange Tree Coral (Dendrophyllia ramea) Recovery in Coral Nurseries: We collect coral fragments broken by waste and place them in nurseries to care for the injuries and recover each endangered colony.

• O4. Reintroduction of Recovered Fragments: We restore natural reef coverage with corals from nurseries, promoting the accelerated recovery of microhabitats for the conservation of various species.

• O5. Monitoring and Surveillance: We conduct in-situ monitoring of the restored marine areas from an ecosystem-based approach.

• O6. Integrated Program for Engagement, Awareness, and Training of the Fishing Sector: We involve and work alongside the fishing sector to promote coral reef conservation, fostering synergies for ecosystem recovery and sustainable local fisheries.

• O7. Awareness Program in Educational Centers and for the General Public: We raise awareness, engage with, and educate both students and the general public on the topic of marine conservation.