380 coral colonies in incubators in Jeddah...to restore the reefs of the Red Sea

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The General Foundation for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea implemented a project to establish coral reef incubators in the city of Jeddah, which currently includes 380 coral colonies, about 78.4% of which are in excellent health.

The first phase of the project began at La Mer Beach, in cooperation with the 17sixty Diving Center, and with the support of the Saudi Marine Sports and Diving Federation, so that the incubators form an integrated platform for coral reef propagation, care and restoration, by combining scientific methods and community participation.

The project relies on rescuing damaged coral colonies, caring for them, and developing them in incubators, before replanting them in their natural habitats, which contributes to increasing the coral stock available for restoration operations.

The program began in mid-2024, and the incubator currently includes 380 coral colonies distributed at different depths, and belonging to 13 genera. The genus Pocillopora leads the colonies in the incubator, with 245 colonies representing 64.5% of the total colonies, followed by the genus Acropora with 62 colonies, then Porites with 35 colonies, along with other genera.

The work cycle begins with rescuing threatened coral parts or collected from nearby damaged areas, then installing them on incubator tables, hanging structures and rope units, to provide a suitable environment for their growth away from sediments and pollutants.

In addition, coral colonies undergo weekly examinations to monitor survival rates and health status, and monitor diseases and predators, while growth rates are measured every three months, in addition to carrying out monthly monitoring and training visits.

Care includes cleaning algae, reattaching coral fragments, and controlling predators, including crown-of-thorns and Drupella snails.

In parallel, the project gives each colony a unique identity that allows the parent colony to be traced, its growth history documented, and the final location for its replanting determined. It also includes larval culture using 3D technology to provide safe surfaces that help wild coral larvae settle and grow.

The results of the project showed that 298 colonies, representing 78.4% of the total colonies, were in excellent health and fully living tissue, while the number of colonies whose size exceeded 10 centimeters reached 231 colonies.

At the same time, the project contributes to the development of rescued coral colonies and increasing the stock available for restoration operations, as well as increasing the carrying capacity and production of incubators, developing standard procedures for coral care and the structures used, and collecting data and tracking colonies.

In the same context, the project extends to building capacity and enhancing community participation, by training local divers to care for and monitor incubators, and involving the diving community in field restoration work, thus enhancing its participation in efforts to preserve coral reefs and marine ecosystems in the Red Sea.

The next phase, which extends for 12 months and is divided into seven phases, includes expanding the incubator, enhancing care and monitoring work, and replanting healthy coral colonies in their natural habitats, in addition to completing the necessary environmental assessments, in support of the restoration of coral reefs and the sustainability of marine ecosystems in the Red Sea.