CORAL GARDENERS: Replanting new coral reefs
The marine industry is, of course, only one half of the story when it comes to the environmental impact of sailing. The other is the sea itself and our impact upon it. The ecosystems within the oceans of the world produce about 50 per cent of the oxygen of our planet. Perhaps the most visual demonstration of the damage being done to this ecosystem can be seen in the coral reefs – many of which are dying.
We caught up with Titouan Bernicot, a young French Polynesian from the island of Mo’orea who has opted to take direct action by setting up Coral Gardeners – a charity that aims to cultivate new corals in order to bring reefs back to life.
How did you get started?
“Basically I was out surfing one day on the reef and I looked down and noticed that the reef was changing and losing its colour. I was shocked and felt something had to be done, so I wrote to a lot of environmental scientists back in France and asked how I could make a dierence.
“They told me to go and study for about 10 years, specialise etc, and then get back to them. Well, I’m an impatient guy and there was no way I was going to do that so I started looking at direct ways in which I could protect the reef. I soon realised it was possible to grow and nurture new corals so that’s how I got started.”
Why are the reefs in danger?
“Rising temperatures are disrupting ecosystems and this can upset the symbiosis between coral polyps and the algae that they feed on.
In basic terms this starves the coral and it slowly starts to die, exposing its white skeleton – this is called bleaching.
“The other factor is acidification – the ocean absorbs about 30 per cent of carbon dioxide and the more carbon dioxide there is in the environment, the more acidic the ocean becomes. Corals struggle to build their calcium carbonate skeletons in these conditions.”
What are your methods for gardening corals?
“When a bleaching event happens, we dive down and take a look at the plants that seem able to resist the conditions. We then take small cuttings from these plants and take them back to our nurseries where we have an undisturbed environment for them to grow. They are generally attached to ropes underwater and nurtured until they can be transplanted onto damaged reefs.”
Why are certain reefs more damaged than others? For example, reefs in the Red Sea are generally in much better condition
“This is a good question. It seems clear that the corals in the Red Sea are much less vulnerable to changes in temperature and pollution so that is something that scientists need to further establish.” To find out more or take direct action by adopting a coral, go to coralgardeners.org. Interview kindly hosted by North Sails that sponsors Titouan.