Note completion: Coral Reef Restoration

SPEAKER: Our restoration project covers a two-kilometre stretch of reef off the southern coast. We use a technique called coral gardening, which involves growing fragments of resilient coral species in underwater nurseries before transplanting them onto degraded reef structures. The nursery phase typically lasts six to eight months. We have focused on three species that have shown the highest heat tolerance in laboratory trials. After transplantation, survival rates have averaged eighty-three per cent over two years, which compares favourably with the global average of around sixty per cent. The biggest challenge has not been biological but logistical: coordinating volunteer divers, securing boat access, and maintaining equipment in saltwater conditions. Funding comes primarily from a partnership with the local tourism industry, which has a direct economic interest in reef health. We estimate that every dollar invested in restoration generates approximately four dollars in tourism revenue over a ten-year period.