Coral Reef Rehabilitation

The Philippine coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. To help rejuvenate these biodiverse habitats , my dad and I, together with passionate conservationists have planted coral nurseries around the Philippines, rebuilding homes for thousands of fish and marine life.

Our rehabilitation project at Boayan Island, Palawan Philippines started in 2018. The program, led by Ditchay Roxas and her husband Philippe Girardeau of South Sea Reef Rehab, uses coral gardening as a method of actively restoring reef ecosystems through coral propagation.

Small fragments of coral, broken off by natural causes such as storms, are attached to man-made structures providing a stable environment for growth. Every 6-12 months the coral colonies can be propagated again to expand this coral nursery. Colonies are eventually planted back onto the seabed where they continue to grow, reproduce and build up the reef.

We participated in the process of coral planting, and re-distribution of these structures to the seabed, and the response of sea life to these methods have been very encouraging.

Continued Efforts

The positive results of the initial coral propagation project encouraged us to expand efforts to Club Paradise, Coron, Palawan, through the collaboration of Discovery Fleet, Club Paradise Divers and the local fishing community. As the project develops, innovation in new structures, monitoring coral growth as well as checking for disease and parasites also continue.

The propagation of various coral have attracted both micro and macro species back into areas that have suffered destruction, some species surprising divers as they haven't been observed in recent documentations of these areas. These developments encourage us to continue our rehabilitation efforts.

Photo 1: Newly planted corals

Photo 2: Nurtured corals over time

scorpion fish

kyokuzan maru wreck