The world’s coral reefs are under massive pressure, but there are also many projects and solutions to save the ocean’s essential ecosystem. Here we have gathered some of the best and most creative solutions: The man behind coral heart starters Researcher Dr. David E. Vaughan writes on his website www.plantamillioncorals.org that he found an effective solution by accident. A piece of one of the corals he was cracking. Disappointed, he took the piece and left it in an empty aquarium. He would throw it away later, but forgot about it. A couple of weeks later he walked past the aquarium and saw that the piece that had broken off had grown quite a lot. He found that by cutting corals into smaller pieces and growing them in optimal conditions, one could produce fast-growing and resistant corals. It inspired him to create an organization that plants corals. So far, they have planted 100,000 corals, and the goal is to plant one million. Growing corals at LEGO In Singapore, some researchers have been inspired by LEGO. They build smaller foundations for corals from Lego bricks. The researchers have used the method of Dr. David. The small cut pieces of coral are put on a Lego block. The Lego bricks also save space, so you can grow many more corals in the aquarium at St. John’s National Sea Laboratory. When the colonies become too large for the individual Lego bricks, you only put on more Lego bricks. It is therefore much easier to adapt to the growth of corals with Lego bricks than it has been with previous solutions. The next step is for scientists to one day put the reborn corals back in the ocean. 40,000 km2 of coral reefs rebuilt in Indonesia In some sea areas in southern Indonesia and off the island of Bali, 50 percent more corals have arrived in less than two years, thanks to a replanting project. 40,000 square kilometers have been rebuilt just off the coast of Indonesia. The plan is to rebuild 185,000 square kilometers in the area before 2029. The solution is simple and with simple materials. Therefore, the local population becomes involved in the process. The solution is hexagonal steel frames that are almost reminiscent of cobwebs. They are tied together under water, and then applied to corals grown on land. They grow faster because they get constant sunlight. Without the steel frames, there would be a risk that during a storm they would be covered in sand and could not get the necessary sun. 3D-printed foundation Hong Kong is one of the places in the world that is most species-rich in hard corals, but the search for building materials has destroyed the seabed in several places. The company ArchiReef has therefore created a new 3D-printed seabed to help the corals grow and rebuild marine life off Hong Kong. They are hexagonal tiles with a “brain pattern” in the middle. They attract wildlife in the ocean because they can hide from predators. The researchers attach small corals to the tiles. The hope is that the corals will be so hardy that at some point they can stand on their own, without the tiles. As an experiment, over 130 of the 3D-printed tiles were installed in Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in 2020.
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Hope is not out for the world’s corals
