Our marine conservation organisation

Coral Guardian has been restoring colors to oceans since 2012.

Our story

Coral Guardian is a non-governmental organisation. Since 2012, we have been working internationally and with local communities to protect coral ecosystems.

2012 Creation of Coral Guardian

After a year in Indonesia, where Martin Colognoli, a marine biologist and co-founder of the organization, was working in a business exporting corals and other marine wildlife. There, he discovers practices that are harmful to the natural environment, to animals and also to humans. Based on this first experience, we launch the first coral reef conservation project thanks to the participative program “Adopt a Coral” allowing anyone to contribute to the protection of our ocean. Coral Guardian was born.

2013 Research and Development

Based in Indonesia, during those first few years we continuously worked on improving our techniques on projects around Bali with various methods such as rope, concrete and ceramics. The use of rope, as an example, proved very complicated because of the strong ocean currents in that area. We found that the technique that proved to be the most efficient was fixing corals with stainless steel wire onto metallic frames which were easy to make.

2015 Launch of the pilot project in Indonesia, on Hatamin island

Having gained extensive experience with the implementation of several test programs on the islands of Bali, Gili Trawangan and Nusa Penida, we then launched our first participatory marine conservation pilot project on the Hatamin archipelago in Indonesia, by directly engaging locals on the ground.

2019 Spreading our participatory model with the Blue Center

After 7 years of operation, we launched our own training program, the Blue Center, to enable smaller structures around the world to grow by benefiting from Coral Guardian’s expertise. The aim is to spread our model of participative marine conservation around the world following the great success of our conservation program developed on Hatamin island.

2020 Launch of our Mediterranean Sea project in Spain

We launched our first key Blue Center project, in collaboration with the local organization Coral Soul. This project, Deep CORE, is located in Punta de la Mona, in Spain, and one of the first participatory marine conservation programs in the Mediterranean Sea.

“My professional career began in Indonesia as a manager in an export company dealing with corals and other marine animals for the aquarium trade. I was quickly disillusioned when I realised that I was taking part in a legal plundering and poaching of marine life that I cherished so much. This experience made me realise that humans are drawing on natural resources without giving anything back. So I co-founded the nonprofit Coral Guardian at that time. The main idea was to protect coral ecosystems through working with the people who depend on them, in this case traditional fishermen fighting for their food sovereignty.”

Martin Colognoli, co-founder of Coral Guardian

Our impact reports

2023 impact report 2022 impact report 2021 impact report 2020 impact report 2019 impact report 2018 activity report 2017 activity report Available in French only. 2016 activity report Available in French only. 2015 activity report Available in French only. 2014 activity report Available in French only. 2013 activity report Available in French only.

Our team

France

Employé·e·s Bénévoles

Romain Bernard President

Caroline Bourgeois General Secretary

Julien Holleville Treasurer

Bruno Breton Member of the executive board

Coco Tamlyn Director

Florina Jacob Field and scientific project manager

Neyda Radouane Partnerships manager

Juliette Villechanoux Temporary field project manager

Florence Lacrosse Project Manager

Solène Jonveaux Scientific Manager

Océane Conjard Communications & Outreach Manager

Carole Petetin Graphic Designer

Coralie Barrier Writer of scientific articles

Dr. Leïla Ezzat Aquatic Ecologist, EPFL

Vladimir Ospina Project management

Solène Ollivier Coral Reef Ecologist

Laura Toffolo Graphic Designer

Anne-Sophie Mouraud Consultant in Marketing & Strategy

Yann Farines IT Expert

Julien Brochard Developer

Laura Bastide Volunteer in mediation and scientific communication

Vincent Diringer Writer of scientific articles

Aurélie Lelong-Brulle Volunteer in mediation and scientific communication

Maxime Beraud Fish data analyst

Laurie Martinez Fish data analyst

Nessim Kleiche Biological data analyst

Coral Guardian Ethical Charter

At Coral Guardian, we firmly believe in the protection and preservation of coral ecosystems. Our organisation is guided by fundamental ethical principles that steer all our actions. This ethical charter sets out our commitments to the planet, local communities, and our partners, while reflecting our dedication to integrity, transparency, and sustainability.

1. Respect for the Environment

We recognise the intrinsic value of coral ecosystems and are committed to protecting, restoring, and preserving them for future generations. We act responsibly to reduce our ecological footprint and promote marine biodiversity conservation. In this regard, we limit our air travel to what is strictly necessary, only undertaking flights when an audit is essential for one of our supported projects, and at most once per year for a maximum duration of one month.

2. Respect for Local Populations

We work in partnership with local populations to understand and respect their traditions, knowledge, and needs. We are committed to promoting sustainable development and supporting local initiatives that enhance livelihoods while preserving the environment.

3. Integrity and Transparency

We act with integrity, honesty, and transparency in all our interactions. We are accountable for our actions and decisions, and we commit to reporting on our activities in an open and transparent manner to our partners, donors, and the public.

4. Education and Awareness

We believe in the power of education and awareness to drive positive change. We are committed to informing and educating the public on the importance of coral ecosystems, the threats they face, and the necessary actions to protect them.

5. Collaboration and Partnership

We encourage collaboration and partnership with other organisations, institutions, governments, and stakeholders to maximise the impact of our actions. We believe in the strength of collective effort to achieve our shared marine conservation goals.

6. Equity and Inclusivity

We are committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusivity in all our activities. We respect and value the diversity of perspectives, cultures, and experiences, and we strive to create an environment where everyone feels respected and included.

7. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

We commit to regularly evaluating our activities and practices to measure our. impact and identify opportunities for improvement. We welcome feedback and constructive criticism, and we endeavour to adopt increasingly effective and responsible practices.

With this Ethical Charter, we affirm our commitment to these principles and pledge to implement them in all our activities within Coral Guardian.