Japan does “Transplants” to Save Coral
Near the southern end of the Okinawa chain of islands, you’ll find Japan’s largest coral reef - and it is dying. Reports shows that up to 90 percent of the coral may already be gone, so scientists are now testing “transplant” methods in the Sekisei Lagoon Reef to hopefully save the country’s other coral reefs.
From the NY Times:
“We have been replanting forests for 4,000 years, but we are only just now learning how to revive a coral reef,” said Mineo Okamoto, a marine biologist at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, who has led development of the palm-size ceramic discs. “We finally have the technology.”
With their process, divers drill holes underwater to “plant” ceramic disks, which have surfaces where new coral can take hold. Experts say the process will take decades.
Image via Flickr.
Coral reefs are dying. We can help revive them by carrying out beach clean up, stopping the bottom trawling, transplanting new corals and minimizing our CO2 emmission.