Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea—a vibrant ecosystem that supports marine life, thousands of human jobs, tourism, a billion-dollar global economy and protect the coastlines. They date back to 240 million years. Yet these underwater marvels face danger.
As you read this, about 77% of the global coral reef areas are experiencing bleaching level heat stress, spanning three major oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Why? Due to the rising ocean temperatures as a result of climate change. As per data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global mass bleaching event which began in February 2023 is now the world’s most widespread ever to be recorded.
These almost record-breaking events hint at alarming consequences not just for the marine ecosystem but also for the economies that rely on them. The immediate response to coral reef restoration activities is currently in full force. Let’s see how.
Coral reefs are sensitive to changes in water temperature, pollution, and other environmental stressors. Global warming has resulted in coral bleaching—where corals lose the algae they depend on for food, turning them white. And, if unchecked, leading to their death.
It’s important to note that global warming is just one factor. The recent El Niño climate pattern is another factor contributing to the ‘global bleaching.’ Restoration efforts aim not only to preserve what’s left but to rebuild what has been lost. Successful projects are now showing that with the right approaches, coral reefs can bounce back.
The Florida Keys is home to some of the world’s most diverse coral ranges that are both ecologically and economically important. Consequently, the Coral Restoration Foundation is currently on a mission to restore coral reefs on a massive scale.
Since 2007, they have returned more than 220,000 critically endangered corals back to Florida's Coral Reef. Moreover, even NOAA and its partners began a 3-year effort to outplant 60,000+ fragments of nursery-raised coral in the Eastern Dry Rocks Sanctuary Preservation Area as part of the iconic mission to restore 7 coral reefs within Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary.
Yes, it's the same Mars company that makes chocolates. Mars, Inc. partnered with marine scientists to create “spider” structures in the Coral Triangle. These are basically hexagonal sand-coated steel structures which have attached coral fragments. They have used these reef stars to fill the gap between the remaining live coral reefs.
As a result, the coral reef coverage jumped from 2% to 70% and the fish populations increased by 175%.
Following this feat, they announced “The Big Build” in 2023, one of the largest single restoration events in history. They successfully planted 30,000 corals across 2,500 square meters, working towards the Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS) goals.
Australia’s first ‘Coral IVF’ trial to restore the Great Barrier Reef was in 2016. Research suggests that these coral reefs not only survived the bleaching events in 2020 but were also on track to reproduce and spawn next year.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Qatar recently completed the first phase of a coral reef protection and restoration program in October 2024.
During a survey of 17 sites, which ran from January to October 2024, they identified five species of soft coral and 40 species of hard coral across Qatar's territorial waters. The Eastern marine islands were found to have healthy ecosystems suitable as donor sites, while southeastern sites were marked for potential coral restoration.
The next phase of the program will involve transferring coral to selected areas and marking future areas as protection sites for coral reefs from damage due to fishing and related activities.
A restoration to such a large extent requires technological support. Here are some technologies that are supporting coral reef restoration globally.
In Australia, Taryn Foster, a coral scientist and CEO of Coral Maker, is pioneering an automated process that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to attach nursery-grown coral fragments to manufactured coral skeletons.
She has collaborated with software company Autodesk to integrate AI such that robots can adapt to different coral shapes. Therefore enhancing accuracy in the restoration process. Her efforts have the potential to dramatically scale up restoration efforts, potentially restoring 250 acres of coral reef annually compared to the current average of 2.5 acres.
Similar to Australia, the US is also preparing itself to stay ahead in the race. The Coral Restoration Nursery (CRF) operates coral nurseries in the ocean to grow juvenile corals. These corals are then transferred to reef restoration sites.
What set’s this nursery apart is the fact that these juvenile corals are reef-ready within 6-9 months. That's because these corals are grown by suspending them, grown on floating, anchored trees made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). As a result, they receive the sunlight and waterborne nutrition they need while being protected from storms and other risks.
They are trying to make these juvenile corals more heat-resistant to increase their chances of surviving in hotter temperatures.
Traditional monitoring of coral reef health relies on visual surveys. PAM is an alternative that involves listening to the natural sounds of reefs to understand the health and activity of these ecosystems.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation uses PAM to gauge reef health, track the recovery process, and attract marine life.
Latest study reported in the journal offers good news for all of us. Our efforts to restore coral reefs can not only increase the coral cover but bring back the important functionality of the ecosystem much faster.
Thus, it will be safe to say that the efforts so far are positive, and the results are encouraging. Unfortunately, for us to fully restore the coral reefs and keep the ecosystem going, we need to come together and invest in conjoined efforts.
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