CORAL GARDENS

Coral gardening, or asexual coral propagation, uses fragments of corals from donor colonies or wild populations that are generated by storm systems, anchoring or other disturbances. These fragments are delivered to nurseries, where they are grown and then propagated to create new material for coral restoration projects. The practice allows for the cultivation of coral in a small area that can generate hundreds of colonies without risking or damaging existing coral populations. Coral gardens are a technique that has replaced past coral restoration efforts, which moved corals from healthy areas to damaged sites. Fiji’s coral reef ecosystem is the most extensive across the South Pacific and is the backbone of the Fijian economy, providing opportunities for tourism and sustaining the nation’s fisheries. Viti Levu is Fiji’s main island. It features a strip of reef known as the Coral Coast along the southwestern coastline. Along the Coral Coast, the reefs have been damaged due to the arrival of predatory crown-of-thorns starfish, intense wave action from storms, fishing and tourism, erosion, and coral bleaching due to increasing sea temperatures and intense sunlight. Additionally, the fishing industry has stressed the biodiversity of the reef due to overharvesting species that control algae and seaweeds. Coral gardening has begun on the reefs adjacent to the Korolevu-i-wai district in the traditional fishing ground of the Vanua Davutukia, which includes four villages with over 2,350 residents. The coral gardening effort is happening in concert with other efforts by NGOs to create management plans for fisheries, beach cleanups and educational campaigns across the coast. 2015 - ongoing
5 acres
0 feet above sea level