00:00A tropical island paradise, but under the waves, it's a different story.
00:07The section of the Great Barrier Reef off Great Keppel Island, or WAPA, was one of the worst hit by bleaching in 2024.
00:14But this restoration trial is hoping to fix that.
00:18We're actually trying to help the reef become more resilient and adapt to climate change.
00:22That needs to be tackled, obviously, for the reefs to be able to be sustainable going into the future.
00:27Indigenous rangers are collaborating with the Australian Institute of Marine Science to help baby coral survive.
00:34We have a lot of knowledge on the Western science side of things, but traditional islanders have this long generational knowledge that we want to try and capture and use together.
00:41That includes choosing the best sites to place the baby coral.
00:45There is cultural significant areas where there's just men's areas, so women aren't allowed to go, and there's women's areas where men aren't allowed to go.
00:52We do have burial areas out there, so we try to stay away from those areas.
00:57Estimated to generate $6.4 billion for the economy every year, people travel globally to see the Great Barrier Reef, which releases tiny eggs, which are being collected to grow on this.
01:08The coral seeding device is one of the many tools designed to help increase a baby coral's chance of survival.
01:14If successful, there are hopes to expand the program to include more of the 70 traditional owner groups with ties to the Great Barrier Reef.
01:22It brings so much joy to my heart.
01:24No matter where you come from, if you're willing to learn and come be a part of something, come and do it. Don't hold back.
01:30We'll be back.
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