Here at WiseOceans we run Marine Discovery Programmes (MDPs) at several locations all across the globe. These programmes aim to educate, conserve and inspire. All of our programmes are based at resorts which allows us to connect with a wide range of guests from all over the world. This helps spread our reach and ultimately make the biggest impact possible. We offer a range of activities in order to connect people with the marine environment, from guided snorkels to hands-on experience with coral restoration, we are sure to provide an educational and exciting experience!
Coral Reef Restoration
Our Reef Restoration Projects vary from location to location but as one of the marine biologists based in the Seychelles I will talk more about our projects here. Due to the high wave action all around the Seychelles we often find broken coral fragments scattered across the seabed. This, at first, may seem terrible but we use this to our advantage. Our marine biologists come along and rescue these fragments, many of which would die if left where they were. We then take these ‘fragments of opportunity’ and use them for the propagation of new corals. This means that we never fragment natural, healthy colonies – we only rescue corals that need help!
We then prune these fragments, remove any dead tissue and algae, before attaching them onto one of our coral nurseries. These nurseries are table frames that are situated in the bays of the areas that we work in. Here the coral will be looked after and monitored until they are big, healthy colonies at which point we remove them from the nursery and plant them back out on the natural reef. This process normally takes between 9-12 months but can be much longer depending on the species of coral we are working with.
Ecological Monitoring
An important part of the process is of course monitoring not only the corals in our nurseries but the health of the natural reef too. While the corals are on our nursery we monitor them for their size every three months. This allows us to calculate their growth rate and by extension this help us understand how well they are coping with their conditions. We monitor for general health on the nursery more often.
As well as closely monitoring the corals on our nurseries we also monitor the health of the natural reef. This includes surveys that look specifically at the corals but also the impact that changing reefs have on their inhabitants such as fish and invertebrates. This is especially important in times of unfavourable conditions such as bleaching events. During the first half of last year we experienced a global bleaching event and in the Seychelles we saw water temperatures skyrocket, with highs of 32 degrees. During this time it was important to look at the natural reef and understand the impact the increased temperature was having. We conducted almost daily bleaching surveys which enabled us to track how the temperature was impacting coral colonies in different areas of the reef and therefore we could determine more resilient coral species and less affected areas. We were able to share this data which fed into worldwide databases in order to track the bleaching event and it’s severity and impacts all across the globe.
Education
Being based at resorts we are lucky enough to have lots of interaction with the public. We use this opportunity to educate and inspire. We conduct frequent workshops on coral to inform about their importance and role in the wider ecosystem as well as allowing people to experience restoration techniques first hand. We guide educational snorkels to teach about the marine creatures we are lucky enough to encounter and stress the importance of a healthy, balanced ecosystem. We also conduct a variety of activities with children. From beach surveys to marine crafts, these activities are always super fun with a guaranteed element of learning.
Our Marine Discovery Programmes operate to enhance the experience of anyone who joins an activity or simply stays for a chat. Our educational outreach paired with the coral reef conservation work we do make up our programmes. Soon we will have Reef Restoration Programmes at seven different locations globally. The restoration sites are receiving some much needed assistance to repair and restore. This has never been more important with the ever-increasing challenges faced by the world’s reef and the ever-warming ocean!
Thanks to our Seychelles Team Leader Pip for this blog!
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