Recent news
Historical studies on the fauna of Curac
Information on Oostpunt including carmab
New handbook for coral reef managers: To
Recent news
Historical studies on the fauna of Curac
Information on Oostpunt including carmab
New handbook for coral reef managers: To
CARMABI Research Station
To facilitate ecological research CARMABI, originally short for the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute was founded in 1955 and has remained the largest field station in the Southern Caribbean. The field station still sits at its original, picturesque location at the opening of the Piscaderabay and reefs are found right in front of it. The number of visiting scientists has been increasing in recent years which prompted the construction of a new water-side building with lab facilities and dormitories for up to 30 people. Researchers or students that want to study Caribbean coral reefs, terrestrial systems or geology can now use these facilities for their science projects. The institute is currently visited by approx. 250 scientists a year for research purposes and by various universities for courses related to coral reef ecology. This website overviews some of the possibilities that now exist for conducting fieldwork or teaching classes in Curacao. To explore the possibilities for your fieldwork or classes use the pull-down tabs on little blue crosses on the left. Didn’t find what you were hoping to find, shoot us an email with your questions so we can see how we might be able to help.
Report on the state of Curacao’s reefs (2026)
In October 2025, the latest information available on the state of and processes affecting coral reefs around Curacao was presented to various ministries (e.g., VVRP, MEO, GMN) and local organizations involved in the tourism industry (e.g., CHATA, CPA, CTB). These sessions were sparked by the drastic decline of coral reefs around Curacao and the availability of new information on drivers underlying this decline that in recent year was collected by various, mostly international universities and research organizations. At the same time, Curacao faces an increase in tourism numbers while it also wants to stay a “paradise above and below the surface”. Especially this latter ambition is difficult to rhyme with the ongoing decline of reef communities along the majority of Curacao’s leeward shore.
