Taking a break - gaining new courage

24.09.2024

The last few months at marinecultures have been one of the biggest challenges we have ever had to overcome. The shock runs deep: 90% of the corals down to a depth of six meters have been lost. Around 8,000 coral babies in our nursery - dead. Our flagship reef and an artificial coral reef, swept clean. We were in shock, frustrated, speechless. Questions such as “Carry on?” and “If so, how?” came to the fore.

Reforested reef after coral bleaching

But in the midst of this crisis, there is a glimmer of hope: as in many other places, there are corals here that have survived the fourth global coral bleaching event. These resilient corals have inspired us to keep going. After our coral tables were emptied, we collected the survivors - the corals that made it to the end of the heatwave. It is precisely these survivors that we are now focusing on: we are propagating them in our farms and transplanting them onto the destroyed reefs.

Coral table with collected, still living corals.

Coral reefs are complex ecosystems in which every species plays an important role. Diversity is therefore the key to sustainable restoration. Our restoration methods must reflect this diversity in order to build stable and resilient reefs. Reforestation is not only a tool to save species, but also an important support for the local communities that depend on the reefs. The road ahead will be long and challenging, and we must expect risks and losses. But every success and every failure brings valuable lessons.

As Phanor Montoya of Reef Futures aptly puts it: “Now is the time to work together and multiply our efforts. We have no time to waste debating whether reforestation even makes sense anymore. Together we can refine our methods, build resilience and ensure that coral reefs - and therefore humanity - can survive.”

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