Conservationists in Cyprus Install Floating Coral Nurseries
Marine biologists in Cyprus are working to restore the population of an endangered coral species. They have been installing protected floating nurseries to counter the effects of climate change and unsustainable human activity.
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00:00These submerged nets off the coast of Cyprus are part of a coral conservation project.
00:12At just five meters below the surface, they're floating nurseries.
00:16Marine biologists glue small coral fragments to pins and secure them to the nets.
00:21The corals then spend a few weeks here before being transferred to a natural reef.
00:25This project is part of a pilot study to restore the local coral population.
00:29We're going to deploy floating nurseries within two marine protected areas in Cyprus
00:35so that we can test whether it's working for the corals to be restored, to be nursed first
00:46so that we can try to restore the communities that have been declining in recent years.
00:52The native species of coral once thrived in the waters off the southeast coast of
00:56Cyprus, but now it's endangered.
01:00Conservationists plan to install over 100 coral fragments on these floating nurseries
01:04and observe how they acclimatize.
01:06And then in a year's time, we will know basically if the corals are doing well on the nurseries
01:14or not.
01:15Hopefully they will be doing well.
01:17And then after that, we will collect the coral fragments and transplant them on natural
01:23reefs, on natural rocks.
01:26Unsustainable human activity continues to be one of the main threats to this species.
01:30Conservationists say keeping young coral away from the shoreline offers them much needed
01:35protection to grow.
01:37We exclude the potential impact from tourism because this specific species, Clavocara gaspidosa,
01:44in Cyprus, they're found in very shallow areas where tourists potentially can trample
01:49on them, can step on them.
01:51Rising ocean temperatures also pose a threat.
01:54Biologists warn the coral population in the Mediterranean could decline by up to 80 percent
01:58within the next century, which would threaten the wider shallow water ecosystem.
02:03I would like the future generations to be able to enjoy not just this species in particular,
02:09but the natural environment.
02:10This is a key part, this is a key species to be able to support the rest of the biodiversity.
02:18The researchers here are keeping a close eye on these nurseries, with the hope that the
02:22coral will grow strong enough to be introduced back to the seabed.
02:26Klein Wong and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.