The Biodiversity Eco Resort Coral Nursery
Many things have happened during the last month and we are very happy to share the news with you. First of all, we have two new members in our team. Saddam is a dive guide from Bunaken with eagle eyes to spot even the tiniest pygmy seahorses. Liko is our new instructor and marine biologist. I will be in charge of the dive school. Furthermore, I have already started developing our reef conservation project. In our Biodiversity Eco Resort coral nursery project, we would very much like to get our guests involved in future.
As a first step, the team has installed a coral nursery in our house reef. There are many types of nurseries and the name of ours is “X-mas tree coral nursery”.
The purpose of the Biodiversity Eco Resort coral nursery is the rescue and propagation of coral fragments. It is necessary for its later reattachment in the reef or on artificial structures. Nurseries provide a more protected environment to the coral fragments. Here they can grow larger and stronger before the current replacement.
Additionally, survival rates of naturally broken off coral fragments are higher in nurseries than in their natural environment. This happens because we try to avoid adverse effects, such as sedimentation. In the same time, we try to increase beneficial effects such as fresh water supply (current). “X-mas tree” nurseries provide these advantages in a simple and affordable design. Currently, our Biodiversity Eco Resort coral nursery has a capacity of 186 fragments.
During the next months, we will develop our curriculum and install different types of artificial reefs. The coral nursery is just the start, so stay tuned – it’s getting exciting!
