User:Atharvawadodkar/Coral reef restoration

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- Adding information under Propagation Methods:

Image of a coral polyp.

The process of cultivating coral polyps to aid in the regeneration of reefs worldwide is known as coral gardening. Growing small coral fragments through asexual reproduction until they are fully mature is the fundamental technique of coral gardening, with ocean-based or land-based nurseries being the two primary methods utilized.

Coral reefs are being restored through the use of ocean-based and land-based nurseries. Ocean-based nurseries involve growing coral fragments underwater, attaching them to steel structures and monitoring their growth for 6-12 months until they reach maturity. Once mature, the new polyp colonies can be transferred to damaged reefs. Land-based nurseries, on the other hand, grow coral fragments in laboratories or farms, which allows for faster processes like micro fragmenting. Since most corals grow only about an inch per year, faster-growing practices are important for the restoration of the reefs. Additionally, growing corals on land protect them from changing temperatures, predators, and other problems that can interfere with the restoration process. Additionally with the help of the NOAA, over 40,000 coral reefs have been restored throughout the Caribbean region.

- Copied from Coral Reef Restoration:

"Perhaps the biggest threat to coral reefs comes from rising global temperatures. Most corals can only tolerate a 4-5 °C range in water temperatures. Under these adverse conditions, corals may expel their zooxanthellae and become bleached. As ocean waters warm beyond the tolerated temperature range, corals are dying. One study of the Great Barrier Reef found the reef mortality rate to be 50% after an extreme heatwave with 3-4 °C temperature increase. Due to bleaching events similar to this one, injured corals continue to die after the event due to increased disease susceptibility, it takes decades after bleaching events for the reef to recover, and the slow growing corals are put under an immense amount of stress."

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The rising global temperature is a consequence of releasing high amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A study showed that about 655 million people live close to coral reefs, accounting for 91% of the world's population who are part of developed countries such as The United States of America, the Middle East and China. The same study also revealed that of the 655 million people, 75% of the population living in close proximity to coral reefs are from poorly developing countries and even though these low-developing countries depend on the coral reef ecosystem they only contribute to a small fraction of greenhouse emissions. Emission statistics have shown that developed countries contribute to about 11 times more greenhouse gas emissions than poor developing countries.

- Copied from Coral Reef Restoration:

"In order to ensure the existence of coral reefs in the future, new methods for restoring their ecosystems are being investigated. Fragmentation is the most common strategy for restoring reefs; often used to establish artificial reefs like coral trees, line nurseries, and fixed structures"

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"... and fixed structures."