Protecting coral reefs

 Dear Captains, 

 

Your difts are coming a long way! We're delighted to give you the mid-year update on our coral restoration projects: 

 

-        Indonesia: already 6,255 corals were restored during the 1st half of the year. For the first time, the project team is beginning the restoration of a new reef on the neighboring island of Sabolo over the second half of the year: an expansion to enable an increase in biodiversity throughout the archipelago. 

 

-        Spain: The initial project area at Punta de la Mona (near Malaga) has been completely cleared! An important milestone that gives a positive signal for the recovery of the site. For the second half of the year, the team is continuing its underwater restoration actions... and on dry land is developing a program to raise awareness among fishing professionals, as well as a series of talks in schools. A busy schedule for the new year. 

 

-        Kenya: After an initial preparation phase over the first half of the year, coral restoration activities will begin in September. A first zone dedicated to reef regeneration has been demarcated, where fishing will be prohibited. 10 members of the coastal communities have been chosen to learn how to regenerate the reef. Let's get started!

 

Thank you very much!

Coral Guardian begins a new long-term collaboration in Kenya!
We're delighted to introduce you to this new project, made possible thanks to your support.
Coral Guardian in Kenya?
Yes! The Kenyan coast and bordered by fringing coral reefs, serving as living and nursery grounds for thousands of marine species.
Many villages and c coastal communities depend on them for food and income.
But unregulated resource use, overfishing and destructive fishing have severely damaged the reef for years, leading to a decline in biodiversity and threatening the incomes of local people.
The project   
The REEL project "Restoring Reef Ecosystems for Enhanced Livelihoods" aims to drive reef regeneration... to the benefit of local people!
Groups of fishermen will be trained and lead the restoration: growing corals in nurseries, transplanting them to artificial reefs, monitoring their growth...
The project also includes massive awareness campaigns and interventions in schools to better understand the issues and enable the implementation of sustainable, community-based management methods.
What makes the REEL project so strong:

Your support helps us to strengthen the resilience of communities in the face of climatic and economic shocks. 
Thank you for your trust!; 

The year 2023 came to a close at Punta de la Mona with some fine advances. In 3 key figures:

- The project cleaned up 92% of the polluted project area: a total of 1,381 kg of underwater waste brought to the surface! They will be recycled to make furniture, thanks to a new circular partnership with a local company;

- 891 corals have been cared for and then transplanted to the seabed to recover the ecosystem, since the project began; 

- More than 8,200 people have been educated locally.
 

Recovery of the area is therefore well underway, with significant progress on depollution. Restoration activities will continue in 2024 and the area to be depolluted will be extended, to bring this effort to other parts of the Marine Protected Area. 
Our Coral Guardian and Coral Soul teams are currently working on priorities for 2024 and seeking funding to continue and extend the project. 
One of this year's objectives will be to work with fishermen in the area, to reduce marine litter at source, and advocacy to strengthen the protection of the area. 
A big thank you to you for your support! 

The year 2023 came to an end with some final activities implemented in December. In addition to the final coral restoration and biological monitoring of the area, the team also carried out:

-       Activities at a school in Segovia: + 250 children took part, discovering the marine life of their region, the coral, and raising awareness of ocean preservation. On the program in addition to educational activities: a diving excursion to a depth of +30 meters... via virtual reality!

-       Underwater: a delicate action maintaining coral nurseries and the changing of a metal grid supporting the corals, at a depth of 36 meters by technical divers. After 3 years, these structures, which support dozens of corals, are showing signs of weakening and are being replaced to continue caring for the corals in complete serenity. 

The start of the 2023 school year was eventful for the Deep Core project in Spain. In September, the project team focused on the care of recovered corals, and no less than 220 corals were cared for on the nurseries, at + 30 meters depth. In October, an extraordinary week of mobilization brought together 10 technical divers from different European countries (German, Dutch, Danish, Spanish) to de-pollute the seabed in the area. A total of 360 kg of garbage was cleaned, most of it abandoned fishing gear and nets. An action that gives hope and a smile to the marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. 

In the spring, the Deep Core coral restoration project in the Mediterranean was lucky enough to welcome teams from the Seen Blue production agency. We are delighted to present the film made, which traces the commitment of these "guardians of the chandelier coral". 

After 2 years of de-polluting the Mediterranean seabed, at Punta de la Mona near the town of Almunecar in Andalusia, the Deep Core project has reached a new milestone: 1 tonne of waste removed from the seabed! This figure is the fruit of long-term work, carried out day after day by teams of volunteer divers, diving to depths of between 30 and 50 metres to bring up marine debris. 80% of the waste removed comes from fishing: huge abandoned nets, fishing lines, bait, etc. are destroying local biodiversity.