Who We Are

CCN is an offshoot of the Caribbean Marine Research and Conservation program initiated in 2008 by Founder Fernando Bretos. Fernando has worked in the Caribbean for decades. Until this year, he ran coral, mangrove and dune restorations projects from both The Ocean Foundation and Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science where in 2007 he created Museum Volunteers for the Environment (MUVE) which has engaged over 15,000 Miami residents in coastal habitat restoration. The son of Caribbean migrants to the US, Fernando’s long-term vision for Cresta is as a platform for the children of migrants to give back to their home countries through participation in environmental projects that address ecological threats and employ local people. This includes mangrove restoration, removal of plastics debris and ecotourism ventures.

Co-founder Anne Louise Burdett has a long background in terrestrial conservation, agroecology, sustainable agriculture and endangered and threatened species protection. She has been a  lifelong scuba diver, and has a masters degree in Marine Conservation and Climate Resilience. Through her community organizing work over the past two decades, she has kept as her compass the vision and voices of those leading the charge in their communities, as well as the threatened habitats, animals and plants that require intervention and support. Her approach is through a lens of mutual aid, community based climate resilience, and outright wonder. 

Together they have created Cresta Coastal Network to continue to align values with action, and scientific research with cherished relationships.