An Overview Of Our Solution
Restoring Coral Reef Ecosystems and Enhancing Marine Fisheries
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Océans/Côtes
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Asie
Problem
Describe the problem
Coral reefs are the world's most productive marine ecosystems providing varied habitats that support a wide biodiversity and a daily alimentary resource to millions of people. The destruction of this essential marine habitat leads to a rarefaction of fish biomass/biodiversity in disturbed environments. If properly done, one of the best ways to develop sustainable fisheries in tropical areas is to create, restore and protect coral reefs. It’s in this field that Coral Reef Creator (CRC) operates, by creating the essential habitat for the development of a real coral ecosystem. Our new approach in marine habitat enhancement is not only focused on fish population, which is normally the case with traditional artificial reefs, but on the whole coral ecosystem and coastal community involvement.
Biodiversity Impact
CRC establishes coral reef projects based on coral transplantation, marine habitat creation and protection. Every CRC coral reef is composed by two kinds of artificial structures called “Coral Props†and “Live Rocksâ€. Coral Props are steel structures on which we graft corals. They provide an optimal support for the fixation and growth of transplanted corals which always come from broken and altered fragments found lying on the sea bed. Thus, it’s possible to offer a second chance of life for these endangered coral colonies. After the corals fixate to the Coral Props, all these transplanted corals will enhance the habitat complexity, increasing the projects effectiveness in term of the quantity of shelters. Live Rocks are mineral structures mimicking natural rocky reefs and provide varied habitats for diverse marine species. Moreover, these porous rocky structures allow the development of the first and vital links of the food chain supporting closely associated marine life. Another way CRC creates sustainable solutions includes creating an agreement with local communities and governments to manage and protect the marine area also known as a “No-take reef zone†which acts as a sanctuary providing shelters, food and a reproduction place for a wide range of marine species. Additionally, this area acts as a nursery spreading larvae and juveniles into the marine environment. Finally, this flourishing coral ecosystem enhances the natural productivity of the coastal marine environment, attracting predators which are often targeted by local fisheries.
Solution
According to the study Reefs at Risk Revisited released in 2011, about 75 percent of the world's coral reefs are currently threatened. Overfishing activities and the population growth are the most direct risks which both threaten over 60% of the world's coral reefs. Based on the ƒ??Limited shelter hypothesisƒ?, artificial reefs are installed to increase targeted fish biomass. CRC goes further, building the framework and the essential habitat for the development of a real coral ecosystem. Our solution is proven to create additional marine habitats and to enhance the biomass and biodiversity of soft bottom ecosystems and other environments that contain insufficient habitats which are critical for shelter and food. CRC works as much as possible with coral species that can support a higher range of water temperatures. Moreover, CRC successfully used, on two different projects, solar electricity to accelerate the growth of corals increasing their survival rate. This effective method of growing corals with electricity is currently used in worldwide research and holds high potential for restoring damaged coral reefs. Corals that are grown with electricity are significantly less susceptible to bleaching. This additional solution appears promising knowing that more than 80 percent of corals in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea bleached in 2010. Finally, when present in the settlement area, CRC systematically removes the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, which is an invasive predator of corals with a geographical distribution in constant extension. // The implantation of a CRC coral reef is developed on local scales. Never the less, each time an artificial coral reef structure is submerged it acts like a local fish concentrating device. When each structure is placed near another, along a coast line, it creates an interaction between each structure. Pelagic fish move from one area to another in order to feed. They use ƒ??corridorsƒ? that link each structure one to another. It is precisely in these ƒ??corridorsƒ? that local fisheries should work. In fact, artificial reefs have a locally small scale impact when focused on one structure at a time; however, when they are observed as a whole, they have a large scale impact due to their connectivity interaction. All CRC coral reefs are located in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea. In each location, the characteristics of the natural environment and threats were different: a strong touristic pressure on a disturbed coral ecosystem in Koh Tao Island; a mid-fishing pressure on a relatively poor marine coastal ecosystem in Koh Kood Island; and a large desert sandy seabed area exposed to monsoon in Ban Kok Kloy, Phang Nga. The size of a CRC coral reef project depends mainly on the funds granted. The surface of each CRC coral reef is in average around 500 square meters, what represents about 30 tons of material. In order to increase the global effectiveness of marine habitat enhancement, the main objective for CRC is to multiply the number of artificial coral reefs spreading this technique into a maximum of coastal and island communities
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 2 years // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? No // The first step in a CRC project is the environmental impact assessment. The objective of this preliminary study is to find a location where the implementation of an artificial coral reef and coral transplantation will be ecologically, socially and economically possible and where the project could be the most positive in terms of benefits such as biodiversity conservation, livelihoods improvement, and coastal communities’ wellbeing. When the best location is found, we design the plan of the future coral reef and estimate its cost. Then, maybe the hardest part of every project begins with the funds granting. For that, CRC will contact a large panel of potential financial sponsors and organize meeting with them. Once the amount required is reached, CRC develops the exact design, shape, size, process and timing of the future coral reef project. The exact plan of the future reef will depend on the desired purpose: recreational use, fisheries support, fish repopulation, etc. At this project’s stage, the hardest part is to conciliate both vision of financial supporters and local communities need. When everyone has agreed on one project, the delivery and creation of the coral reef can start. CRC provides long term monitoring to assess the evolution of this new batch of coral reef over time. During at least 3 years, CRC conducts scientific follow-ups of the site, collecting and analyzing data needed to fulfill regulatory reporting requirements, conservation management needs and to document long-term reef development.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
CRC's established technique of marine fishery enhancement improves livelihoods at a local scale by enhancing natural biomass productivity by creating sustainable habitats and increasing coral recruitment through artificial propagation. CRC's experience demonstrates habitat restoration or creation is especially effective in cases of insufficient critical habitats for shelter and food sources. Artificial propagation of coral is beneficial to boost stock rebuilding and in areas in where corals cannot reproduce naturally due to irremediable loss of critical habitat. Thus, it’s difficult to approximate the exact impact of such a project, this technique increases economic benefits via larger catches by local fishermen who are important members of coastal/island communities. Furthermore, CRC's method of coral transplantation and protection helps to preserve coral reef biodiversity, which is essential for future generations, and economically important regarding tourism incomes or shore line protection against erosion. Finally, as a fundamental part of our solution, CRC organizes ongoing informational campaigns in order to educate fishermen, as well as children about the issues of coral reef conservation. Through the involvement of local communities, it’s possible to strongly increase the effectiveness of the marine habitat enhancement project as well as heighten conservation awareness across the community. // The implantation of a CRC coral reef is developed on a small scale. Too big anthropic impact can be negative on its efficiency. This is why CRC always conducts an environmental impact assessment to know if the project can be significantly positive or not. To carry out a sustainable and effective reef project, coastal communities have to be involved in decision-making through integrated management of the social, economic and ecological systems underpinning the sector. CRC does not carry out any reef project before the total acceptance by local governments and local populations. It’s important to increase the awareness of coastal communities on marine conservation issues, if we want be sure to limit anthropic disturbances. Hopefully, after information meetings, CRC Coral Reef Project is generally well welcomed by coastal communities, and the status of No-take zone is globally respected. This marine sanctuary will increase the natural productivity at a local scale, by welcoming a wide range of marine species, spreading juveniles and larvae into the surrounding areas and attracting predators. During the 3 year project, CRC organizes educational campaigns in schools in order to raise ecological awareness of local communities for long term results. Also, CRC works in partnership with project neighbors such as beach resorts and scuba diving clubs in order to clearly inform visitors about the nearby coral reef project. Thanks to this open communication, it’s possible to decrease the touristic pressures on natural reefs, as well as increase ecological awareness of the public.