Diving into Coral Conservation  

By Devon Ledbetter

     Now that we’ve acknowledged the extreme decline corals are facing globally, it’s time to asks ourselves: what can we do to help? This was the driving force behind the formation of Rescue a Reef- we wanted to create a way to engage the public and make a difference in the health of coral reef ecosystems. Rescue a Reef is a citizen science program that formed out of Dr. Diego Lirman’s coral restoration research lab at the University of Miami. With the goal of connecting the public to the oceans, we host citizen science expeditions and activities to provide people with hands-on experience in coral research and restoration. To many people “citizen science” may be an unfamiliar concept, however it’s quite simple! Citizen science is when everyday individuals work alongside scientists to support a research project or initiative; for Rescue a Reef, this means helping our team grow and restore corals! Citizen science can come in many different shapes and structures; it can be as simple as a beach cleanup monitoring types of trash discarded, an invasive species removal, or one of our coral restoration dive expeditions. We believe citizen science is important because it gives people the chance to become involved in making a difference and creates a meaningful connection with the ocean and all the resources it provides.  By utilizing citizen science initiatives participants can help expand the coral restoration effort and become ocean conservationists along the way.

     So, what exactly is a “citizen science expedition?” A typical Rescue a Reef expedition is a half-day outing involving two dives: one to our underwater coral nursery, and another to the reef restoration site. On the first dive, participants have two main goals: clean the nursery structures and collect corals for outplanting. Our nursery is composed of 30+ underwater coral “trees’”. These structures are created out of PVC pipes and float in the water column, secured by an anchor on the bottom and a buoy on top. However, algae, fire coral, and other fouling organisms tend to grow on the arms of the trees and need to be periodically removed. To do this, citizen scientists are equipped with a metal brush to scrape the branches of the coral trees clean. 

     After cleaning the arms, participants trade their wire brushes for pair of snips and it’s time to start collecting! We grow two main kinds of coral on our trees: staghorn coral and elkhorn coral. Both staghorn and elkhorn corals are protected by the Endangered Species Act, making them ideal candidates for restoration. When citizen scientists collect corals, they use snips to break the coral into smaller pieces. However, this does not hurt the corals as one would expect. Due to pruning vigor, the corals will actually grow faster after they are fragmented, meaning that out planted corals grow more rapidly. Participants gather the fragmented pieces in a large basket, which is brought to the surface and stored in seawater. During the surface interval, concrete is mixed on the boat and put into large piping bags, like icing for a cake. 

     Through experimentation and research, our team has created a coral-friendly and user-friendly concrete mix that allows us to attach the corals securely on the reef. On the second dive, Rescue a Reef team members place small dollops of cement onto the reef, and citizen scientists can take corals harvested from the nursery and fix them in the wet cement. Within the hour, the cement will harden, locking the coral pieces into place and rooting them onto the reef to grow. Over time, the coral outplants grow over the cement and attach on their own!

     Even if you can’t join us on one of our public expeditions, there are still many things that you can do in your own home to help promote ocean conservation and make a difference in the health of coral reefs worldwide! Making small changes in our daily lives can have a huge impact, like reducing waste. Often, we don’t realize how much trash we produce or where it ends up; unfortunately, the ocean has become a hotspot for discarded plastic and trash.  There are an estimated 15-51 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean today (1). Most of these pieces have been identified as single use plastics- the kind of things we use once and then discard- such as water bottles, to go containers, plastic bags, or straws (2).

    What makes plastic particularly harmful to the environment is that it can take hundreds of years to decompose, so it remains floating in the ocean for decades at a time (2). But the damage caused by plastic pollution goes deeper than having trash in the oceans- coral reefs which are exposed to plastic pollution are significantly more susceptible to disease (3). One study found that a coral was 20 times more likely to experience disease if it was covered with plastic debris (3). Only about 9% of plastic produced is recycled, meaning that a majority is floating in our oceans or gathering in our landfills (4). However, there are easy ways to reduce your single use plastic and start recycling! It can be as simple as using a reusable water bottle, getting reusable grocery bags, or bringing your own Tupperware out to dinner for leftovers instead of using to go containers. 

     Another issue facing coral reefs is carbon emissions, which stem from a variety of sources. Plastic production, manufacturing, and industrialization release massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fashion industry alone is estimated to contribute 10% of annual global carbon emissions, and 20% of wastewater worldwide (5). However, there are brands and companies who see this problem and are working to fix it by minimizing their waste and giving back to environmental conservation organizations.It’s important to support brands who promote environmental sustainability and try to reduce their production carbon footprint. By investing your money in companies who care for the environment, you are joining the effort to minimize carbon emissions produced from manufacturing. Additionally, consider shopping at secondhand stores and donating used items to eliminate clothing that ends up discarded in landfills.

     While these actions may seem small or simple, it’s important to remember that even making small changes in our daily lives can have a big impact on the health of coral reefs worldwide. Join us by taking small steps to clean our oceans and promote coral conservation worldwide. As Jane Goodall once said, “you cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.” It’s time to take initiative and have a positive impact on our ocean ecosystems before further damage is done. You can learn about more ways to support coral conservation on our “How to Help” page! 

Images shot by Devon Ledbetter on a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II