Project AWARE is involved in the worldwide efforts of dive industry leaders and environmental groups in promoting, constructing and funding the placement and maintenance of mooring buoys.

Since the early 1970s, pioneering members of the dive community, whose livelihoods depended on the quality of coral reefs in their area, have championed the installation and use of mooring buoys. Over the years, mooring projects have gathered momentum and are now widely accepted as an effective solution to one aspect of habitat degradation. Mooring buoys lessen the harmful effects of anchors on delicate underwater ecosystems.

The benefits to the environment far outweigh the effort involved in mooring buoy planning and installation. Project AWARE has compiled an extensive Mooring Buoy Planning Guide which can be a valuable tool to project coordinators. It outlines the types of mooring buoy systems, their benefits, management and liability considerations and more.