With the purpose of renewing and extending the current Memorandum of Understanding between SECORE International and the ECOMARES Foundation (2021–2025), both parties, together with the directors of the coral larval rearing laboratories at the University of Magdalena and the Blue Indigo Foundation, met from May 13 to 15 at the University of Magdalena in Santa Marta, Colombia. The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen collaboration on the development of propagación larval de corales large-scale coral larval propagation techniqueswithin the framework of reef restoration in the Colombian Caribbean.

On the morning of May 13, representatives from SECORE, ECOMARES, the University of Magdalena, and the Blue Indigo Foundation shared experiences, progress, challenges, and future projections related to the breeding and managing sexually derived coral recruits. As part of this exchange, key researchers and partners in coral reef restoration in the Magdalena region were invited, including Professors Adolfo Sanjuán (Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano) and Sven Zea (National University of Colombia), as well as professionals from Tayrona National Natural Park (PNN Tayrona) and INVEMAR, who gained first-hand insight into both national and international advances in sexual coral reproduction for ecological restoration purposes.

The meeting included a visit to a reef area within Tayrona National Natural Park (PNN Tayrona), where participants assessed the health of these ecosystems, which are considered unique and of great ecological value in the Caribbean.

As a result of the mutual interest in continuing this collaboration, a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed, valid until 2030.As with the previous agreement, each laboratory will continue working in partnership with various local organizations committed to the conservation of Colombia’s reefs.