Coral reefs play a substantial role as functional ecosystems: increase marine biodiversity and provide habitat for numerous marine species, sequestrate 70–90 million tons of carbon per year, protect the coastline from wave actions and damaging storms, etc. These biologically diverse ecosystems have evolved over millions of years and are now considered one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. At present, about one-fifth of global coral reefs have already been destroyed or damaged; it is estimated that another 35% will be destroyed within 10 to 40 years!

Adverse environmental conditions, for instance, ocean acidification, global warming, the spread of coral diseases, changes in water quality, unsustainable fishing methods, and coastal development have imposed various complex and combined stressors for coral reef degradation.

At present, various coral reef restoration approaches are being practised globally, yet the adequacy to protect corals from the continuous pressure imposed by human activities is highly questionable. Vice versa, the majority being small-scale, localized restoration projects prioritizing fast-growing coral species, yield promising results in the short term but generally fail in the long run. 

The situation is no different in local restoration efforts, blindly adopting existing reef restoration methods from unfamiliar environments and apply in the field without any prior tastings. Ultimately due to such unsustainable efforts, the reef systems end up exposing to more stressors in the name of ‘Coral reef restoration’. On the other hand, it is imperative to identify novel coral reef restoration techniques that can hasten coral recovery, so we may have a glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow.

Here at the AARC’s Coral Lab, our mission is to bring together science, people and technology to facilitate sustainable utilization, conservation and restoration of the coral reef ecosystems in Sri Lanka and expand into the Indian Ocean in future!