Our goal is to build 25 nurseries, each housing 4000 coral mother fragments, over the next 5 years. We have just built the first and we will build another before the end of the year and plan to build at least five nurseries of different kinds each year.
Inside the nurseries we try to propagate as many different species, and genotypes within species, as possible from “corals of opportunity”. Corals of opportunity are fragments of coral found loose. They are fragments that would otherwise die due to the friction of sand on the seabed floor.
By collecting fragments of opportunity of the same species (and also different species) from many different spots in Chole Bay and surrounds, our team is hopefully creating a genetically diverse coral gene bank that includes both different species and also multiple genotypes within species. The living coral gene bank will help to maintain biodiversity and provide future coral gardeners and researchers with an invaluable resource for coral restoration attempts and understanding coral genetics and coral symbioses and the multiple symbionts resident in coral tissues and in their microbiomes, all of which appear to be important for their resilience.
We are experimenting with replacing plastics with natural materials and bamboo poles and coconut ropes are two of our choices, instead of plastic or aluminium poles and nylon or PVC ropes. Chole Island is one of the last places that rope is still made from coconut husks by women and children and therefore every purchase brings income to the local community. Because it is a natural material, not only is it biodegradable but it will also not contribute to plastic pollution in our Oceans.