One of the largest ever reef restoration trials is underway on the Great Barrier Reef. Indigenous rangers and scientists are growing millions of baby coral in an effort to restore bleach-damaged sections of the reef.
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.
Be the first to comment