One of the challenges we have faced in our coral reef restoration efforts is finding a suitable structure for outplanting corals. In the Wasini Channel, our bottle reef structures have been successful, but we have found that they are not stable enough in the more dynamic conditions of the Indian Ocean. In our pilot project, the bottle reefs have shifted and tumbled over due to the impact of waves and as a result, a small percentage of the corals that were outplanted on them were lost. To address this challenge, we have decided to try a new approach: metal pod structures. These structures have shown promising results in other coral reef restoration projects and seem to withstand the waves and surge in the Diani Chale marine reserve better than the bottle reefs. We have outplanted the corals that we recovered on these metal pod structures and are eager to see how they hold up over time.
This experiment is an important step in our efforts to restore the coral reefs in the Diani Chale marine reserve. We believe that the metal pod structures have the potential to provide a stable and effective platform for outplanting corals, and we are committed to monitoring their progress and sharing our findings with the community. We are grateful for the support of our partners and the local community in this project, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to restore the coral reefs in Diani Beach, Kenya. If you are interested in learning more about our pilot coral reef restoration project or would like to get involved, please contact us at ReefoDivers Diani.