BTN News: Wearing neoprene suits, three dedicated researchers prepare to dive into the clear waters off the coast of Cyprus. Their mission is groundbreaking: to install corals in a floating nursery, an initiative designed to combat the effects of climate change and excessive tourism on the Mediterranean Sea.
In the southeastern region of the island, near Ayia Napa, these scientists attach fragments of a native coral species to small, numbered sticks. These coral fragments have been carefully preserved for weeks by the Cyprus Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR).
Minutes later, at a depth of five meters, the researchers anchor these sticks to the netting of the underwater nursery near Cape Greco. Dr. Louis Hadjioannou, a researcher associated with the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), is spearheading this effort to restore the “Cladocora caespitosa,” a coral species that has seen a significant decline due to climate change.
An Israeli expert first proposed the idea of floating nurseries to protect corals from predators, pathogens, and the adverse effects of unsustainable tourism, explains the 41-year-old scientist. The “Cladocora caespitosa” typically inhabits shallow waters, often just zero to four meters deep, making it vulnerable to damage from tourists.
By floating the nurseries, “we can reduce some of the stress factors,” says Hadjioannou. This is the first pilot study in the Mediterranean testing the efficacy of floating nurseries, he adds.
This technique was first used in 2000 in the Red Sea, near the Jordanian border, by Professor Buki Rinkevich from the National Institute of Oceanography in Haifa, Israel. It has since been tested successfully in Colombia, Thailand, the Philippines, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar, and Jamaica. According to Rinkevich, floating nurseries have yielded positive results for about 100 different coral species.
In Cyprus, two floating structures have been installed in protected marine areas, one at Cape Greco and another near Ayia Napa. These nurseries are anchored at depths of 11 and 17 meters, respectively. At the end of June, ten coral fragments were placed in each nursery, and their condition will be monitored every one to two months.
Hadjioannou aims to implant at least 100 fragments in each nursery for this study. “In a year, we’ll know if the corals are thriving,” he says. If the results are positive, the coral fragments will be transplanted to natural reefs.
This experiment is part of the “EFFECTIVE” project, launched last year and funded by the European Union. The project’s goal is to “restore the Mediterranean’s natural capital,” says Manos Moraitis, a 36-year-old biologist and fellow CMMI researcher.
Coral reefs are among the planet’s richest ecosystems, hosting many species and ensuring biodiversity. However, they are highly sensitive to environmental changes. The marine ecosystems in Cyprus are threatened by climate change, mass tourism, coastal development, and agricultural pollution.
In 2015, a heatwave caused partial die-off of “between 30 and 40% of the corals” the researchers were studying, says Hadjioannou. “As the climate crisis worsens, an even larger percentage of live coral tissue will die,” he adds.
The “Cladocora caespitosa” is a “very important” species in the Mediterranean, capable of creating large bioconstructions similar to tropical reefs, according to Hadjioannou. If this experiment succeeds, the goal is to “replicate these coral nurseries in other Mediterranean regions” and “deploy more in Cyprus.”
By advancing these floating nurseries, scientists hope to mitigate some adverse effects on coral populations and protect these essential ecosystems for future generations.
