In February this year, WiseOceans partnered with Anantara Maia Seychelles Villas to launch our latest Marine Discovery Programme in Seychelles. Through this programme we are engaging resort guests and the public with the incredible marine environment of Seychelles and also working with local authorities to support conservation efforts. Following an ecological assessment, we agreed on conservation priorities for Anse Louis with the Department of Environment and the resort, including regular ecological monitoring and a coral reef restoration project.
Corals around the Seychelles help to support a wealth of marine life. They provide oxygen, shelter and food as an ecosystem but are also important for livelihoods and coastal protection. However, they are under multiple threats causing a dramatic decline to coral reefs worldwide. They now need both protection and restoration projects to ensure their future survival.
Coral Reef Restoration
In June, we announced the official launch to our coral restoration project in Anse Louis, in partnership with Anantara Maia Seychelles Villas and Seychelles Department of Environment.
Our long-term project and partnership aims to restore 10,000 square meters of reef over the next 8 years. The Anse Louis reef has been previously impacted by marine heatwave events, causing coral bleaching and physical destruction from storm events and anchor damage. Whilst the reef has shown some signs of natural recovery through new coral recruits, the natural resilience of reefs is now hampered by ongoing and regular ocean warming. Therefore, this project will assist in increasing coral coverage, diversity and rebuilding important reef habitat.
The method of restoration includes in water coral nurseries, direct out planning onto natural substrate and rubble stabilisation. The coral nursery is a steel frame placed near a shallow part of the reef. Corals will be suspended on the nursery using rope and fishing lines. Naturally occurring broken fragments also known as ‘corals of opportunity’ are collected by our onsite marine biologists to use as coral stock, in the nursery these are monitored for growth and health. Once the coral fragments have grown into a beautiful colony (usually between 9 months to 1 year) they will be out planted back out onto the bare reef rock. Many parts of the bay have unstable rubble, where previous corals beds have been eroded away. This is not ideal for out planting the corals onto, so the use of stabilisation techniques such as steel coral star frames and wire mesh are being explored to restabilise the reef and give corals a stable substrate to grow onto.
Want to help?
This project was officially launched on the 25th June 2025 with the first coral line being placed onto the nursery by the Anantara Maia Seychelles Villas management team. We also welcomed students from Anse Boileau School to learn about the restoration process and get involved in the conservation efforts. Guests can now take part in adopting corals by attending the bi-weekly coral workshop hosted by our marine biologist.
Not heading to the Seychelles anytime soon? You can still help support our reef restoration projects around the world by adopting a coral – head to our coral adoption page to find out more!
