#Reefrestorationfoundation #goodnews #Coralnursery #Bleaching
Pieces of broken coral are salvaged and rehabilitated in “nurseries” so they can be transported back to the Great Barrier Reef, but marine scientists say this cannot replace action against climate change. Highlights: Coral nurseries are showing early success as scientists use the broken pieces to grow healthy coral and then transplant them back to the reef. Coral nurseries show early success as scientists use the broken pieces to grow healthy coral and then transplant them back to the reef United Nations recommends Great Barrier Reef to be added to World Heritage ‘endangered’ list UNESCO report follows an official visit to the reef in March A recent report from the UN recommended that the reef be added to the “Endangered” World Heritage list and called for “ambitious, rapid and sustained” action on climate change to protect the area. The report was complied with after UN officials visited the reef in March this year. Despite fears of another coral bleaching event due to record temperatures in November, there is some good news for the reef recently, with coral nurseries in the far north enjoying successful coral spawning events. Several organizations collect broken or dying coral and rehabilitate them in coral nurseries, in hopes of saving the Great Barrier Reef one broken piece at a time. ‘Parts of opportunity’ Dr Emma Camp is assistant team leader of the future reef team and co-founder of The Coral Nurture Program at Sydney University of Technology. The program has planted more than 76,000 corals on the Great Barrier Reef at eight different sites between Cairns and The Whitsundays since 2018. One of the floating nurseries located off Cairns. They primarily use “opportunity pieces”, which are corals that break off naturally and would not normally survive, Dr Camp said. The pieces are then attached to coral nurseries, which are floating aluminum frames in hopes of regrowth and repair of the broken coral. “The pieces we sew back into the reef are the opportunity pieces that are collected and reconnected to the reef that would otherwise fall into the sand and not survive,” said Dr Camp. “We have documented that several species naturally grow faster in the nursery than on the reef. “We think this is because it is the most suitable environment in the nursery. Watch Time: 20 sec 20 sec Coral is cleared in one of Reef Restorations’ coral nurseries. “When the corals are big enough, we take small scraps of coral and plant them back on the reefs. “We actually saw our corals spawn in the nursery, which is great because we get more material into the system.” ‘Cannot replace climate action’ Despite continued success, Dr Camp said climate change is still the biggest threat to the reef. “It doesn’t matter what the regeneration process is. We basically have to address climate change and address reliance on fossil fuels. Otherwise, we’re going to continue to see coral bleaching. “What we’re doing is trying to save time and build resilience, but that cannot replace climate action.” If found fast enough and grown in the right conditions, pieces of broken coral can get a second chance. new nurseries Ryan Donnelly is CEO of the Reef Restoration Foundation , which has established coral nurseries off Fitzroy Island and Hastings Reef, 55 kilometers northeast of Cairns. A new nursery is about to be built on Moore’s Reef, 50 kilometers east of Cairns. “Our nurseries are made of PVC pipes with cross members that we call coral tree frames, where we can hang corals,” Donnelly said. “By hanging them, they survive the attack of parasites, predators and competitors, and also have extended access to sunlight for photosynthesis. “Corals actually grow faster and become healthier, accelerating the natural healing process.” ‘Making a difference’ Last month, corals grown at a coral nursery on Fitzroy Island near Cairns spawned for the first time since being planted four years ago. We’re clearing a coral tree full of broken coral pieces off Fitzroy Island. “This is the first time we’ve seen this happen, and it could probably be the first time it’s happening,” Donnelly said. “It gives us a lot of confidence to move forward and we’ve learned a lot in the five years we’ve been doing it. It’s given us additional strength to keep going because we’re making a difference.” When you spawn corals, these fertilized larvae settle on distant reefs, so coral restoration at all levels makes a difference.” Mr Donnelly said that although broken coral is regrowth and seeing it spawn for the first time, more needs to be done to address climate change. “Nothing will turn this ship around unless we stop the course of global warming,” he said. “We have a huge challenge ahead of us in terms of global warming, but in the meantime, pretty much everyone in the world has some sort of role to make a difference.”
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