Coral transplants in Spain

Why this project?

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most polluted seas on the planet. Plastic pollution from coastal activities and fisheries (ghost nets) traps and suffocates many marine species, including corals. Corals offer habitat and shelter for biodiversity, from which human communities benefit. The project Deep CORE (Deep Coral Restoration) addresses the issues of marine biodiversity loss in southern Spain by protecting deep corals in the area, which represent a key habitat for many aquatic species. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the sea bottom and collecting, recovering, and transplanting coral to restore the seabeds.

Project Importance

Currently, the most widespread pressure threatening coral reef ecosystems worldwide is climate change, due to the accelerated emissions of CO₂ in the atmosphere. On top of these global challenges, there are also local pressures such as destructive fishing, pollution, invasive species, and others, which act in synergy, resulting in greater stress to these ecosystems and decreasing chances of survival. Therefore, by acting locally and controlling local stressors, coral reef ecosystems' resilience is reinforced to face global threats.

Active restoration is one of the measures to take to accelerate the recovery of the already lost or degraded ecosystems, and it should be implemented in parallel with strategies to control CO2 emissions. Since the beginning of this project (2020), the survival rate of transplanted corals has been 100%.

Co-benefits

The Marine Protected Area of Punta de la Mona, Granada (Andalusia, Spain), is inhabited by one of the most important populations of the Candelabro coral of the Mediterranean (Dendrophyllia ramea). This coral is usually distributed from 50 meters deep, but in this area, it is found in shallower areas, from 25 meters deep. This makes this population unique in the world and creates an ecosystem with extraordinary biodiversity, being the habitat of an endless number of protected species such as corals, gorgonians, sponges, echinoderms, elasmobranchs, cetaceans, and turtles.

If coral populations are lost, the sustainability of marine biodiversity that uses coral beds as shelter and as breeding, nursing, or feeding habitats would be in peril. The project's aim is to ensure the restoration of the local coral beds, contributing to the return of biodiversity in damaged areas.