Reef Restoration Project: rebuilding reefs, restoring biodiversity

We launched the Reef Restoration Project in 2013 to rebuild coral flats that had been devastated by dynamite fishing prior to the establishment of the MPA network.  The goal of the program is to rebuild reefs, thereby increasing fish life which brings associated benefits to both local communities and visitors.

Using a technique called coral transplantation our team of coral farmers, which include marine scientists, Misool Rangers and university students, create artificial reefs from wire mesh frames on areas of broken coral. Living corals are transplanted onto these frames and cleaned and monitored so that they have the best chance of survival. Over time, these reefs will grow naturally, providing new habitat for fish, corals and other reef creatures.

Achievements

In 2022, our Reef Restoration Project restored 579 m² of reef

The team now manages six new reef sites with more than 12,000 fragments transplanted at a survival rate of 80%.