Coral Rehabilitation Programme

Table of Contents

Context

The National Centre for Coastal Research’s (NCCR) proposed for dropping ‘melted plastic rocks or slabs’ on the seabed for growing coral reefs as well as address the problem of disposal of plastic waste.

Bad idea

This has drawn criticism from the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) Marine National Park, which has been implementing coral rehabilitation programme since 2002.

Criticism

The NCCR suggested that plastic could simply be wound around as hard substrates
Worn out tyres were tried as artificial reefs in Florida and Costa Rica, which turned out to be disastrous. .
Corals in the GoM were already stressed and bleached
It can destroy corals completely.

Coral rehabilitation programme since 2002.
It has so far covered eight sq km areas in GoM region, where coral reefs suffered bleaching and degradation due to climate change and high temperature.
Corals would start growing in 60 days using the concrete frames as sub-state.
The acropora coral species grow by 10 to 12 cm per year on these slabs.

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