Transplanting coral reefs

By Henrylito D. Tacio
In agriculture, a transplant is a seed grown in controlled conditions (such as a greenhouse) then transplanted to a field where it is allowed to grow further and bear fruits (tomato and eggplant, for example) or until ready for harvesting (cabbage, carrots, radish, to name a few).
But can the technique be used, too, in restoring degraded coral reef areas?
Experts attending the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida say that the reefs can be regenerated using the same methods as are used to restore tropical forests.  
Reforestation is one of them.  It is the restocking of existing forests and woodlands which have been depleted.  Reforestation also refers to afforestation, the process of restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forest that once existed but were deforested or otherwise removed or destroyed at some point in the past.
In a similar way, degraded coral reef ecosystems can also be restored, using similar technique, according to Dr. Baruch Rinkevich, a senior scientist with the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research.  
“Many of the world’s coral reefs are experiencing a severe degradation,” he said.  These ecologically-fragile marine wonders can be saved by using so-called “branching corals” as “ecosystem engineering species.”
In a press conference during the symposium which the author attended, the Israeli scientist talked about the so-called “gardening coral reefs concept,” a method inspired from forest restoration guidelines.
The technique involves generating and farming large stocks of new coral colonies in a floating nursery which is far from predators and other disturbances. After one year or so, they are transplanted into degraded areas.
In the Philippines, the Filipinnovation on Coral Reef Restoration Program is adapting the same technique.  It is a program initiated by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) and under the auspices of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
“Started in 2012, the program seeks to roll out coral-transplantation technology using asexually reproduced corals to improve productivity of coral resources for sustainable fisheries,” Melvin B. Carlos, Christie A. Surara and Rose Anne K. Mananghaya wrote an extensive report of S&T Media Service.
Developed by the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute in Diliman, Quezon City, the direct coral-transplantation technique was implemented with the local communities to restore an area in Bolinao, Pangasinan. The technique has been pilot-tested in major tourism and diving sites, including Batangas, Bohol and Boracay. 
According to the three authors, the program adapts the corals asexual-reproduction technology for reef restoration which involves the collection of dislodged live coral fragments or “corals of opportunity” or COPs.  The COPs are attached to coral nursery units (CNUs) for quick recovery and regeneration to increase survival rates upon transplantation in degraded coral-reef sites.
Each CNU is designed to hold 500 COPs per batch and can be used several times a year.
The CNU design and the coral-transplantation technique uses marine epoxy clay, nails and cable tie. Among the restored sites were in Bohol, Pangasinan, Sarangani, Bataan, Zambales, Palawan, Camiguin, Zamboanga del Norte and Ilocos Norte. These areas were identified based on their suitability for restoration; availability of sufficient amount of coral fragments for transplanting; and their location within the marine protected area.
So far, the program has established a total of 538 CNUs and transplanted 487,158 coral fragments. These activities contribute directly to the protection of coastal communities by providing natural barriers; improving our marine ecosystem services; developing fishery resources; and enhancing underwater tourism industry.
The Filipinnovation Program was completed in 2013.  However, the National Coral Reef Rehabilitation Roll-Out Program continued the work using the same asexual-reproduction technology.  It was done in nine sites across the country: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; Alaminos, Pangasinan; Bagac, Bataan; Subic Bay, Zambales; Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Anda, Bohol; Camiguin, Zamboanga City; and Kiamba, Sarangani. All in all, the two programs are now in 20 locations across 11 regions.
The Philippines, whose coral reef area — estimated at 26,000 square kilometers — is considered the second largest in Southeast Asia.  But the Inventory of the Coral Resources of the Philippines in the 1970s found only about 5% of the reefs to be in excellent condition, with over 75% coral cover (both hard and soft).
Another study conducted in 1997 showed only 4% of reefs in excellent condition (75% hard or soft coral cover), 28% in good condition (50-75% coral cover), 42% in fair condition (25-50% coral cover), and 27% in poor condition (less than 25% coral cover).
Some years back, leading marine scientists ranked the coral reefs in the Philippines as among the most threatened in Southeast Asia. Among those listed as culprits were overfishing, destructive fishing, sedimentation, and pollution.
“Although coral reefs have always been subject to natural disturbances – disease, predator outbreaks, and climatic disruptions such as hurricanes and the El Niño – natural damage is now being compounded by human-induced disturbances,” noted Coral Reefs: Valuable but Vulnerable, a discussion paper circulated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Yes, the country’s coral reefs are on the verge of extinction.  “Despite considerable improvements in coral reef management, the country’s coral reefs remain under threat,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The Philippine government made and introduced many laws in an attempt to protect the natural environment on the islands and in the national territorial waters.   But the government cannot do it alone; help from individuals are also needed to save the reefs from total annihilation.
“We are the stewards of our nation’s resources,” said Rafael D. Guerrero III, former executive director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development, “we should take care of our national heritage so that future generations can enjoy them.  Let’s do our best to save our coral reefs.  Our children’s children will thank us for the effort.” (Photos courtesy of SeaWeb)