In the Maldives, reef regeneration programs play a vital role in environmental conservation, as high water temperatures catastrophically damaged the Maldivian coral reefs in 1998. The effects were immediately visible: the corals were deprived of life-giving nutrients and turned stark white, leading scientists to refer to the phenomenon as "bleaching". It was reported that around 70% of corals were bleached, with about 80% of Acropora communities dead. Within two weeks, the coral holocaust wiped out a century of coral growth.
Coral transplantation has aided in the recovery process on the reefs at Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru and Angsana Maldives Ihuru. The impact of Ihuru's Barnacle Project is particularly important. The project was the first of its kind in the Maldives and received international recognition in 1998 when it was conferred the 'Theodore M. Sperry Award' by the Society for Ecological Restoration, a highly esteemed accolade honoring pioneers and innovators in the field of environmental conservation. Developed by German architect Professor Wolf Hilbertz and Dr. Tom Goreau, President of Global Coral Reef Alliance, the patented project is currently under the supervision of our resident marine conservation team at the resorts.
Corals are transplanted by hand onto a man-made barnacle steel structure immersed in some 20 feet of seawater. To speed up coral growth the barnacle is electrically charged with a safe low-voltage current, which is powered by solar cells. This technology not only contributes immensely to Ihuru's reef restoration efforts but also enhances the biodiversity of the underwater world by attracting more species of marine life like reef fish, nudibranchs (or sea slugs), sea turtles and even the endangered Napoleon Wrasse fish to its thriving marine habitat.
Observations made over the past few years have found that the Barnacle has greatly accelerated the rate of coral growth. Compared to neighboring reefs, corals on the Barnacle grow faster. The increased growth rates don't just apply to species such as Montipora, Favia and Porites, but also to massive corals like the Acropora (Staghorn Coral), which typically take longer to cultivate.
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