Coral Vita
Coral reefs are one of most important ecosystems on the planet. They are a cornerstone of life in the ocean, and a source of food for hundreds of millions of people; they power coastal economies around the world through tourism, fishing, and recreation; and reefs shelter coastlines from storms and erosion.
Sadly, coral reef health is collapsing around the world. As reefs die, these ecological wonders and the critical benefits they provide for people disappear. The threats posed from this crisis – from wildlife loss, to homes underwater, to climate refugees –
matters to everyone everywhere.
GENERATE $30 BILLION ANNUALLY
Through coastal protection, fisheries, and tourism reefs are economic powerhouses.
REDUCE WAVE ENERGY BY 97%
Coral reefs protect coasts against storm surges, waves, and erosion.
SUPPORT 25% OF ALL MARINE LIFE
Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth.
Image: Matt Porteous
What’s killing the Reefs?
The widespread coral mortality our world’s currently experiencing is not natural and is almost entirely caused by human actions. While restoration is a critical strategy to sustain ocean and community health, the best thing to do to protect coral reefs is to stop killing them. At Coral Vita, we actively work with local partners and governments that are implementing progressive conservation policies. Our political and industrial leaders must rapidly implement meaningful solutions to solve the following problems that are the main causes of reef degradation.
CLIMATE CHANGE
During extreme heat events, coral reefs can turn white in a process called “bleaching.” This happens when coral expel the microalgae that gives them color. These symbiotic algae feed the coral and bleaching can result in the rapid death of huge areas of reefs. Together with ocean acidification, climate change threatens to kill the majority of coral reefs.
OVERFISHING
Fish are an essential part of a coral reef ecosystem. For the corals in particular, herbivorous fish clean corals by eating macroalgae off their surface. When humans reduce fish populations through overfishing, this algae can smother and kill corals. And as more reefs die and less fish exist to control algal growth, algae more quickly takes over space that corals needed to recover from degradation.
DIRECT HUMAN IMPACTS
Coral reefs are susceptible to direct human impacts like poor development practices and pollution. Oftentimes, reefs close to population centers and agricultural lands are killed by pollution and runoff. They also can be damaged by sedimentation and improperly managed dredging from development projects.
At Corla Vita, we recognize that the most pressing environmental challenges are not being solved through traditional models at the pace or scale required. That is why we revitalize and protect threatened reefs by growing hardier, climate resilient, and genetically diverse corals in our land-based growth tanks, and outplant them into degraded reefs. Our reef restoration enterprise accelerates growth up to 50x faster than in nature, using cutting-edge methods developed at marine institutes around the world, working to restore reefs in the most effective way possible.
So, what makes Coral Vita’s approach different?
Coral Vita’s land-based model means that a single farm is potentially able to grow millions of diverse, resilient, and affordable corals for distribution around a region; Unlike most underwater nurseries, which typically focus only on fast-growing species, missing out on critical ecological diversity, and can do little to enhance coral resilience to climate change.
Our assisted evolution techniques improve coral resilience to the changing oceanic conditions that threaten reef health. Corals that are native to each restoration project can be raised to be more tolerant to threats such as warming temperatures or acidification, as we control their growing conditions. There is also greater capability to integrate ‘microfragmenting,’ which uses natural healing processes to accelerate growth.
How can I learn more about Coral Vita’s work?
Coral Vita’s first state-of-the-art facility, located in Freeport, Grand Bahama, functions as an education center for local communities and an eco-tourism attraction. Tours are available on select days, and reservations can be made in advance.
The public is also able to support Coral Vita’s work by adopting a coral! You can track your coral’s growth both inside our facilities and out in the big blue.
We are in a race against time to save these reefs.
WEBSITE: www.coralvita.co
INSTAGRAM: @coralvitareefs
FACEBOOK: @CoralVitaReefs
TWITTER: @CoralVitaReefs
