Meet The Coral Gardeners

We reached out and made contact with an epic group that working on coral reef restoration in a really modern way harnessing technology (AI) to map out, monitor and measure reef health. They are really organised and have been at it since 2017 and support reef restoration accross a number of sites in the pacific.

Check them out here : https://coralgardeners.org/

One important thing they highlight is that replanting the reef is no easy or cheap task and requires commitment, dedication and real strategic planning and ongoing funding.

Here is some of what they have to say :

We’ve been at this since 2017 and are still learning something new each and every day. 

Here are some of our recommendations for starting a successful coral reef restoration project:

First, does the reef need restoration and how likely is it to succeed? Has there been a reef before where you plan to do your restoration project? Has the local source of degradation been addressed and mitigated? Only proceed with a project if you can answer yes to both of the above, otherwise you’re essentially growing and planting corals that will  die because they are likely to be overgrown by algae, dislodged by currents, or covered by sediments. Keep in mind that baby corals need to be cared for and without proper maintenance and monitoring, they likely won’t survive. 

Second, do you know which permits you need to collect, grow, and plant corals? Depending on the country/region/state you’re located in, different laws apply. Please make sure to secure the relevant permits before doing any work with corals. In many places, coral reefs are endangered, and we want to ensure small-scale efforts are not causing more harm than good.

Third, make sure you have enough financial resources and the right team in place. Restoring coral reefs is not cheap and requires a continuous inflow of funds. Do you have a plan in place for how you’ll get those funds year after year? You’ll also need an all-star team to pull this off. From marine biologists to boat captains to someone who’s handy with hardware to set up and fix nurseries. Plus they need to be  willing to work day in and day out in sometimes rough conditions.

Once you meet the above criteria, you can begin developing  a project.

Now as for us, we are lucky that we have identified the reasons why the reef need replanting - primarily tsunami damage, crown of thorns and poor fishing practices. These are not ongoing issues. Thankfully.

As for our sites yes, they were thriving reef systems.

Permits, in our country there are no permits.

Money, we are selling coconuts.

Boat captains, marine biologists, a strong team, we have Eco-Pirates.

So, as you can we are set to start our coral replanting! Luckily, my family for generations planted coral, under water coral gardening has been a hobby of the family for many generations and many of the old tricks of the trade have been passed down which will guide our work.

Do check out the link to the epic coral gardeners, while we wont meet the criteria to partner with them but will remain inspired by thier fancy AI tools and seek to incorporate them into our future plans.