Coral Gardening For The Future

For thousands of years the human race has been cultivating. From food crops to building materials to aesthetic flowers, we want to create more and better plants. Now we’ve branched our green fingers into the blue and started creating gardens of coral delights, planting and nurturing small pieces of coral in suitable beds in order to help them start a new colony.

On a recent trip to Fiji I discovered, on dipping into a popular snorkel spot, a rather out of place metal bed frame. I was surprised to find on closer inspection that the little mounds covering its base were actually foundations for tiny pieces of coral. Pieces broken off a coral head had been ‘replanted’ on individual bases with space to start off a new colony of polyps which can then be placed in a suitable environment once having established a base. The mini ‘coral patch’ I saw was off a resort beach on the island of Mana in the Mamanuca group. I hope there are more resorts doing the same thing. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could grow coral to replace all the poor polyps that get destroyed by negligent holidaymakers, frolicking about the precious reefs and breaking the coral. Coral is not a fast growing entity with ‘growth rates of 0.3 to 2 centimeters per year for massive corals, and up to 10 centimeters per year for branching corals’ (noaa) it can take a very long time for all the little pieces that get broken off to rebuild.

Some places and people have never been introduced to the idea of sustainability, it’s great when everyone wants to come and visit your beautiful reefs but when they’ve been all but obliterated from the traffic they’ll start to realize it’s too late to start looking after them. A little education goes a long way and  even simply advising snorkelers where is best to snorkel in water that’s deep enough you don’t have to scramble over the reefs and at the right time in the tide movement can make a huge difference to the welfare of the reef. With the other problems that reefs face these days from climate change, invasive species and ocean acidification there’s fear it may all be too much for reefs to take.

Some organizations have been replanting corals and nurturing new colonies around the globe for several years but it would be really nice to see the tourism industry doing a little not only to help the reefs but to help themselves’ by protecting the future of their attractions. Secore are an American based organisation striving to help reefs through reproduction and education initiatives. Another project in Vanuatu organised by Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network which started in July this year is hoping to bring coral gardening to the tourist by getting them planting coral gardens to counteract damage from climate change. Let’s get gardening under the waves and protect the future of our struggling reefs.