Coral transplantation helps, but not the only solution

Marine animals and coral fragments on the dome structure built in the Andamans by ReefWatch Marine Conservation. Coral reef restoration, a relatively novel approach, is being used to combat declines in global coral health. Photo by Sumer Verma.

Marine animals and coral fragments on the dome structure built in the Andamans by ReefWatch Marine Conservation. Coral reef restoration, a relatively novel approach, is being used to combat declines in global coral health. Photo by Sumer Verma.

Coral transplantation ‘band aid fix’, need to address environmental stressors

While coral transplantation has been carried out in the ecologically fragile Lakshadweep archipelago, conservationists and researchers across the board feel that it cannot be seen as a one-stop solution. Lakshadweep has been in the news recently because a number of infrastructural development projects have been announced in the coral islands, and experts feel that it is a definite way to destroy them.

“Coral restoration efforts can be a great way to get communities involved in caring for their reefs, in sparking questions around reef ecology, and over time, maybe even in witnessing a patch of reef return to a healthier state,” said Shreya Yadav, marine biologist and PhD candidate at Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology. “But it is absolutely not going to stop coral bleaching events, and save coral reefs from some of the biggest threats that face them today – careless development, overfishing, and pollution. The best thing we can do for reefs right now is reduce global emissions, work with fisher and coastal communities to develop sustainable and equitable fisheries, and really have an open discussion about who ‘development’ serves and whose future it has in mind.”

Partially bleached coral. Coral reefs cover less than 01.% of the world's ocean but harbour over 25% of all named marine species. Photo by Matt Kieffer/Wikimedia Commons.
Partially bleached coral. Coral reefs cover less than 0.1% of the world’s ocean but harbour over 25% of all named marine species. Photo by Matt Kieffer/Wikimedia Commons.

Naveen Namboothri, reef ecologist and director of Dakshin Foundation, a marine research and conservation non-profit based in Bengaluru, is sceptical about the efficacy of coral transplantation efforts as they are currently practised.

“You can’t really build a forest by just planting a few trees. Just like planting trees doesn’t build a forest, coral transplantation can’t really bring back a fully functional reef system. It is much more complicated than that. Reef restoration research needs more funding. It should not be equivalent to afforestation initiatives where it becomes one of those things where you tick off the box and say we will do our coral restoration to compensate for losses due to developmental activities. We need to get all ducks in a row before promoting coral transplantation as the alternative, let us spend more time on research to come up with demonstrable, viable solutions, and in the interim seriously look at fisheries management and minimising the impacts of other developmental pressures on coral reefs instead,” he said.

 

Banner image: ReefWatch Marine Conservation staff monitoring the growth of coral fragments on their artificial reef. Photo by Sumer Verma.

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