Meredith Greene

A groundbreaking Colombian marine biologist leading coral reef restoration in the Caribbean

Meredith Greene (b. 1990) is a Jamaican-born, Colombia-based scientist revolutionizing coral reef conservation through her Coral Vita Colombia initiative. Her 2017 discovery of heat-resistant coral strains in the Colombian Caribbean enabled the creation of 'super corals' that survive temperature fluctuations up to 3°C above normal. Greene's team has restored 12km of reefs in the Rosario Islands, creating marine protected areas that support local fishing communities. Her 2021 Nature paper on assisted evolution techniques became the standard for coral restoration programs globally. Partnering with NGOs like WWF, she developed the first coral 'seed banks' in the Americas. Greene's work was featured in National Geographic's Ocean Giants series (2020) and earned her a Global Green Hero Award.