The Caribbean island of Barbados is an independent island nation located in the western Atlantic Ocean, just to the east of the Caribbean Sea. The islands closest  neighbours, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines all collectively make up the regions Lesser Antilles.

The island, is entirely fringed coral reefs, is predominantly created from low-lying limestone coral

The diversity of marine life on Barbados’ coral reefs is good . Brightly coloured reefs are covered in a variety of hard and soft corals and complemented by a profusion of beautiful Caribbean reef and pelagic fish. There are many rare species occupying the coastlines and reefs of Barbados, as well as Sting rays and even Manta rays. Barbados is also regularly visited by hawksbill, green and leatherback turtles, which are regularly spotted by divers
 

• The Bajan Government has an Inter Coral Zone Management Unit which monitors fish stocks and breeding grounds and regularly tests for pollutant
   
• Poor infrastructure that was created during the tourist boom has adversely affected the reefs as runoff streams off causeways and pollutes the reefs.
   
• The Barbados Sea Turtle Programme, launched in 1998 to outlaw harvesting of any turtles or their eggs, has proven very successful as numbers are rising
   
• The mass mortality of the algae grazer Diadema antillarum in 1983-84 caused the proliferation of algae that now out-competes coral for space on the reef.

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