The Reef Life Survey Foundation is a non-for-profit, non-governmental organisation and a registered charity. The Foundation's work depends upon the support and goodwill of many people and organisations. Your financial support allows us to continue the essential work that we do to present the true story of the world's oceans and the life within them. We see our contribution as the best hope for safeguarding our marine heritage for the future.
Through your charitable donation, you can directly contribute to science and discovery for the betterment of reef ecosystems around the world.
Donations in Australia are tax deductible.
As a non-profit organisation, donations provide much needed funding to allow us to survey more areas and ultimately demonstrate the true condition of our marine life. Thanks to the dedication of our volunteer network, all donations are directed to covering the costs of surveys, science communication, and education.
Below are just a few of many ways that your donation can help our mission.
Help us monitor the status of some of the most endangered species on the planet, like the Red Handfish (Thymichthys politus). Reef Life Survey has contributed to monitoring the last remaining Red Handfish populations, and continuing the search for other populations.
Reef Life Survey's global biodiversity database represents the only source of information available to identify the true threat status for countless marine species around the world. Sustained monitoring is needed to guide appropriate conservation of vulnerable marine species - but we can't maintain this effort without your help.
A donation to our Species Conservation efforts can support ongoing monitoring surveys and reporting, to help put information about vulnerable species in the hands of those with the power to drive change.
Reef Life Survey partners with organisations and projects committed to restoring reef habitat, from forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in Tasmania, to the coral reefs of the tropics.
While we leave the restoration to the experts, we mobilise teams of divers to monitor restoration impacts; collecting data on fish abundance and diversity, macroinvertebrate populations, and habitat composition and condition. These insights help restoration programs track their progress and identify the realised underwater outcomes of their conservation efforts.
Our work in this space is scalable; from monitoring impacts on individual patches of reefs, to entire Marine Protected Areas.
Reef Life Survey trains skilled recreational divers in scientific underwater survey methods, empowering community members to contribute directly to ecological monitoring on their home reefs or favourite dive sites. Volunteer divers gain deep knowledge of the marine environment through learning first-hand from expert ecologists, fostering their marine stewardship and connection to underwater ecosystem health.
We are committed to ensuring that ecological change on the world's reefs does not happen 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind', and with your help, we can continue to grow our large and diverse network of citizen scientists. By providing hands-on technical training, we equip citizen scientists with knowledge of marine ecosystems and the power to contribute directly to the data underpinning research and management.
