Coral Reef Alliance

Coral+Reef+Alliance

Jennifer Randall, Reporter

The global coral reef alliance (GCRA) has been working to find ways they can restore the coral reefs that have been destroyed by human, sea animals, or other causes. And recently, they made a very pivotal discovery in the mote tropical research laboratory.  

Micro-fragmenting is the technique Dr. Vaughan developed. It uses broken pieces of coral to grow new coral polyps. The new technique enables coral to grow over 25 times faster than it naturally would. Christopher Page, and Dr. Vaughan express that it will make it possible to mass produce reef building corals. It could slow down or reverse the alarming loss of corals in the Florida Keys and many other places.  

There are other efforts around the world as well. In Australia, efforts are being made to restore the great barrier reef by coral transplants.  

A marine biologist who leads the future reefs program of the University of Technology, Sydney, worked with a team of researchers and a local reef tour company to recover fragments of healthy coral that had survived becoming bleached (the loss of the algae that feeds the reef) the scientists began to grow them on mesh platforms in a sandy lagoon close to the reef.  

Only twelve species were chosen. Which covered a large range of coral forms as they branched to plate shaped globular. After a few months of this, the fragments were planted out of using a novel type clip that enables quick and easy attachment to the rest of the reef matrix. 

The world is wary about intervention, but if the scientist’s never acted, then we would not have coral reefs in ten or even five years.