Man Scuba Diver by checking Reef Coral Coral Coral Multicolor.
Island tourism in destinations such as Maldives, Bahamas and Thailand often face criticism of its impact on coral rocks. Critics say the development of tourism in a previously untouched environment will destroy it.
However, due to global climate events, coral rocks are already in poor condition. Coral Vita, a Bahamas -based company, committed to restoring coral rocks through innovative methods of high -tech coral agriculture, points out on its website alarmingly given such as half of the world’s reefs in the world have already died in recent decades, with over 90% projected to disappear by 2050.
A diver controls coral rocks in French Polynesia after a major bleaching event occurred. White … [+]
Sam Teicher, the main Reef official in Coral Vita, said in an interview with decades of degradation have deleted at least 80% of Coral Bahamas’s underwater rocks, a crisis derived from events such as Dorian Hurricane and the spread of Coral tissue loss. Both events have nothing to do with tourism and all that has to do with climate change.
Coral Vita named climate change, congestion and pollution the three main causes of coral degradation, without mentioning tourism. However, industry often becomes a redemption.
Tourism development inevitably affects the environment, but the real question is whether to leave the coral rocks intact without economic stimuli for storage leads to better results than having a guardian, such as a hotel or resort, actively working to rehabilitate and protect them. Let’s discover it.
Not all corals are equal and why it matters
In a telephone interview, Johanna Leonhardt, leading scientist in the Coral Restoration Program of the Soneva Foundation, acknowledges trade, but insists that inaction is not an option. She believes that if nature is left uncontrolled and climate change continues with its current scale, only coral reefs with the highest biodiversity will survive. Other areas will not be so lucky.
Dock over Reef Coral to Baa Atoll ATCO Biosphere Reserve, part of Soneva Fusi, Maldives
She believes she helped evolution as an essential strategy to combat the influence of global climate events. It means the use of human interventions such as selective breeding, genetic modification or microbioma manipulation to increase coral resistance against climate stressors such as rising ocean temperatures and acidification.
She says “planting beautiful corals” is not the way forward, but “planting corals with specific ecological functionality” is. And she is far from the only one who believes it.
A member of the Coral Vita staff is cleaning coral fragments in a coral court.
As climate threats are intensifying, it believes in sharing successes with other tourism businesses in the Maldives and across the globe, so that everyone can work together to scale their efforts and set better strategies.
How are the marine scientists fighting for the future of the coral
At the beginning of 2025, the Soneva Foundation organized a Dialogue on the Restoration of the Reef Coral co-perpetrated by Professor Callum Roberts from Exeter University and Karen Sack, Executive Director of the Ocean Risk and Resistance Alliance (ORRA).
The event brought together key scientists, finance and policy -making experts to promote urgent, large -scale investment and policy action and to find solutions before it is too late.
In a joint statement, the participants noted that the current methods of planting coral are very intensity of work to scaling effectively. While natural coral rocks include tens of thousands of square miles across tropical oceans, restoration efforts have barely covered hectares.
The main intake was that successful regeneration of rocks requires more than planting the coral. It must be supported by stronger policies, pollution control and better coastal management.
Funding should be fair and comprehensive, supporting local communities and avoiding external interventions that bypass local needs. Efform effort should be directed by science, combining front research with traditional knowledge to provide measurable, long -term reefs and those depending on them.
Prioritize preservation -based tourism or why your travel choices matter to planet
Conservation -based tourism is a travel approach that prioritizes environmental protection, preserving wildlife and community well -being. Ensures that tourism income directly support storage efforts, from restoring coral reefs to the protection of endangered species.
Choicedo travel selection sends a message, including where you stay. Choosing a resort actively involved in maintaining corals over one without environmental initiatives signals the demand for responsible tourism. Resorts that invest in reefting, maritime protection and sustainable practices prove that tourism and conservation can go in parallel.
On the other hand, supporting businesses that ignore their environmental impact strengthen the status quo. Tourism can be a strength for good when done properly.
Let’s look at the real world examples of how much tourism businesses can achieve with active coral restoration programs in the country.
When tourism and conservation thrive together is a victory for both rocks and travelers
Leonhardt said the Soneva Foundation planted 117,000 corals using carefully selected temperature species in the Maldives, reaching a 74% survival rate after the last coral discovery event.
Matthew Patrick, Marine Biologist in Gili Lankanfushi Maldives, also talks about a 70% survival rate in an email interview. He stressed that they created 419 coral lines using over 15 different species to improve the biodiversity of the reef. They successfully transplanted 130 of these lines (or 39.4% of the total).
A diver is checking the coral lines near the Maldives Gili Lankanfushi.
Ambra Dumbria, a naval biologist in Baros, Maldives, also discovered in an interview with email that guests and conservation initiatives have sponsored 480 coral frames to date.
A diver is swimming around the coral nursery in the Maldives Baros.
In Bali, Indonesia, Lee Miles, Ayana Komodo Waecicu Beach, confirmed that their coral planting program covers 10.225 square meters. It includes 250 coral frames with over 2,500 planted corals. Moreover, its rope nursery features 160 ropes with 1,600 coral fragments on their way to grow in new colonies.
A naval biologist on the beach Ayana Komodo Waecicu is carrying coral fragments in a wire frame.
Teicher from Coral Vita also said that this year, her farm in the Bahamas accommodated 28,749 coral fragments from nearly 500 genotypes in 13 species, covering 1.79 hectares of reef. A total of 604 corals were exceeded in the melting structures and the reef.
Vita coral divers are planting coral fragments in the ropes.
Martteyne Wan Wan, regional general manager at Six Senses Laamu, found that only in 2023, over 12 million coral larvae were released at Reef House using innovative larval restoration techniques, increasing genetic diversity and resistance against future whitening.
Since the opening, the six senses Laamu’s investments helped maintain 89,600 hectares of Atoll, among other things. Its ongoing research also supported the creation of six protected marine areas (MPA) and four important fields for sharks and rays, a total of 3,477 hectares.
Marine biologists at Six Sense Laamu are conducting a study of coral whitening.
In terms of MPs, protection of marine life is not only an environmental necessity, but it can be a billion dollars option for the tourism industry. Protecting diving countries in the world can unlock massive economic benefits by ensuring long -term sustainability.
The future of storage of corals depends on today’s choices
As the climate threats intensify, the interviewed scientists agree that the question is not about restoring what it has lost, but about building elastic elastic ecosystems in its country.
Are the storage programs escalated quite quickly? Is the restoration of tourism financing at the required level required? How can financial policies and models evolve to support long -term regeneration than short -term adjustments?
Travelers, businesses and policymakers have to consider these questions now because the future of coral reefs depends on today’s elections.