Growing corals in a floating nursery off the coast of Cyprus is a promising experiment

In the south-east of the island, off the coast of Ayia Napa, these Cypriots attach pieces of coral from a local species protected by the Cyprus Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR) to numbered sticks for several weeks. A few minutes later, they are engaged in a net of a floating nursery near Cape Greco, the easternmost point of Cyprus, at a depth of about five meters.

Predators, overture

D^r Louis Hadjioannou, an associate researcher at the Cyprus Marine and Marine Institute (CMMI) in charge of research on Cladocora caespitosa, explains that this species of Mediterranean coral has declined in recent years. climate regulation and he wants to “restore” it.

These floating nurseries keep the corals away from predators as they grow.

The 41-year-old scientist explains that the restoration of corals in Cyprus initially consisted of placing the stumps on rocky bottoms, their natural habitat. “Then an Israeli specialist had the idea to try these floating nurseries, because during growing it allows them to be away from predators, pathogens or even “the consequences of unsustainable tourism”. Cladocora caespitosa is found in very shallow areas in Cyprus, generally on rocks from zero to four meters and ” tourists can walk on them”, confirms the expert. “By forcing them to swim (…), we exclude some stress factors”.

Pilot training

According to Louis Hadjioannou, this is “the first pilot study to test the effectiveness of floating nurseries in the Mediterranean”. The technique was first used in 2000 in the Red Sea, north of the Gulf of Eilat, near the Jordanian border, Buki Rinkevich, a professor at Israel’s National Institute of Oceanography, who developed it, told Israel’s Haifa agency. It has been tested all over the world, especially in Thailand, Philippines, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Colombia and Jamaica. Professor Rinkevich assures that the floating nurseries “have given good results” for about a hundred different types of coral.

In total, two structures were installed in two marine protected areas in Cyprus, near the resort of Cape Greco and Ayia Napa. Their impressive mooring blocks are located at depths of 11 and 17 meters respectively.

At the end of June, ten coral fragments were installed in each floating nursery. They should be analyzed once or twice a month to check their condition. The aim is to create at least a hundred children in each nursery for this sample, explains Louis Hadjioannou: “After a year we will know if the corals are good or not,” hopes the scientist. Otherwise, “we will collect the fragments and transfer them to natural rocks.”

“Grandes bioconstructions”

It combines experience A project called EffectiveIt was launched last year and funded by the European Union with the aim of “restoring the natural capital of the Mediterranean”. Coral reefs are one of the richest ecosystems on the planet. Biotopes of many species, they are providers of biodiversity, but they are very sensitive to environmental changes.

After a 2015 heat wave, “30-40% of corals” studied by Cypriot researchers were “partially dead”.

Cypriot marine ecosystems are threatened by climate change, as well as mass tourism, coastal development and agricultural pollution. After a 2015 heat wave, “30-40% of corals” studied by Cypriot researchers were “partially dead”. D^r Hadjioannou worries: “With the worsening of the climate crisis (…), an even higher percentage of living coral tissue will disappear. »