National Geographic March2020

BEAUTIFUL AND FRAGILE, coral reefs in

tropical oceans worldwide are threat-

ened by climate change, storms, and

bleaching. Now travelers can help

restore them by supporting coral

replanting programs.

National Geographic Explorer Paola

Rodríguez-Troncoso has worked on

a Mexican program that sustainably

replanted more than 6,000 coral frag-

ments over six years. In this project,

divers collect fragments from the

ocean floor that have been knocked

off reefs by storms or waves. Then they

tether healthy pieces to the substrata

of reefs at the same or nearby sites. It’s

a process that can vary by location.

For example, in some areas where

reefs border lagoons, such as French

Polynesia (below), the coral fragments

are placed in underwater nurseries to

recuperate before replanting.

Resorts and conservation groups are

starting to educate and involve visi-

tors in these efforts. To avoid programs

that may do more harm than good,

Rodríguez-Troncoso cautions against

any that purposely break off fragments

from healthy corals or fail to get the

required permits. Though replanted

fragments grow slowly, each one can be

part of a reef ’s centuries-long life span.

“That small seed,” Rodríguez-Troncoso

says, “that will really help.”

REEF REVIVAL

BY THERESA MACHEMER

TRAVEL | DISCOVERY

In Moorea, French

Polynesia, the nonprofit

group Coral Gardeners

tends broken pieces of

coral on a nursery table

for one month before

reattaching them to

reefs. Travelers there can

adopt a coral piece and

help the group plant it.

PHOTO: CRISTINA MITTERMEIER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION