Conservation Campus
Nature’s Think Tank
Where Research, Learning, and Conservation Connect
The Florida Aquarium’s Conservation Campus is home to our Coral Conservation and Research Center, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, various water quality and research laboratories, and five pollinator gardens. Part of the Florida Conservation and Technology Center (FCTC), our innovative 20-acre campus is located in Apollo Beach, Florida.
Open November 1 – April 15
Visit Conservation Campus and FCTC
Want a fun, educational, behind-the-scenes look at collective efforts to help Florida’s unique ecosystems thrive? Open to the public from November 1 through April 15 each year, the 500-acre Florida Conservation and Technology Center is a partnership among four champions of the environment: The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Electric, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the University of Florida.
The center is home to:
- The Florida Aquarium’s Conservation Campus
- FWC’s Marine Fisheries Enhancement Center
- FWC’s Suncoast Youth Conservation Center
- Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center
- Tampa Electric’s Tom Hernandez Clean Energy Center
- Fishing pier
- Kayak launch
- Wildlife observation tower
Advancing Coral Research
Leaders in Coral Conservation
The Florida Aquarium’s state-of-the-art, 9,000-square-foot Coral Conservation and Research Center is a haven for more than 70,000 corals from 17 species. The industry leader in Atlantic coral sexual reproduction and baby rearing, we collaborate with state and federal management agencies, universities, and other non-profit organizations on ground-breaking research projects to advance coral restoration practices and secure the future of Florida’s coral species.
A Look Inside
An Innovative Center for Research and Preservation
The Coral Conservation and Research Center has three expansive coral care and rearing greenhouses and a coral spawning lab. Within these facilities, researchers conduct science-based, impact-driven projects to protect coral species at risk of extinction, increase coral reproduction rates, advance coral health, and restore the Florida Reef Tract.
Protecting Genetic Diversity
Coral Archive and Cryopreservation Lab
In our living coral archive, we provide long-term care for 15 species of healthy coral, including species rescued from the Florida Reef Tract. We also have a cryopreservation lab — home to the world’s largest collection of staghorn coral sperm — where we partner on pioneering techniques to cryopreserve coral gametes and larvae. Archiving living corals and banking cryopreserved corals helps us build healthy, genetically diverse coral populations into the future.
Promoting Reproduction
Coral Spawning Laboratory
By replicating reef conditions such as water temperature, day length, light levels, and moon phases, we have successfully spawned 14 coral species in our biosecure facility, resulting in the production of hundreds of thousands of coral babies. Our team works to induce spawning with additional species and to shift the spawn timing to bring production rates up to a scale that will meet restoration needs.
Raising Babies
Coral and Herbivore Nursery
In our nursery, we raise coral offspring from gametes we’ve collected from our spawning lab, our living archive, and the wild. We also raise long-spined sea urchins cultured in a research laboratory in partnership with the University of Florida. This critical species helps keep algae levels in check so corals can grow. Successful restoration of the Florida Reef Tract requires a significant and consistent supply of genetically diverse corals to be outplanted alongside herbivores.
Coral Conservation Program
Reviving Our Reefs
The Coral Conservation and Research Center is just part of the work we’re doing to protect coral reefs. Want to learn more about The Florida Aquarium’s groundbreaking work in coral reproduction and rearing?
