Coral planting project to save Singapore's reefs
Budding undersea colonies are being planted around Singapore in an effort to reforest some of the world's most silt-filled waters. Large-scale efforts here include transplanting small pieces of coral to degraded areas, where they will hopefully take root, and providing artificial homes for corals to attach to. The idea is to throw a lifeline to corals, the ocean's lifeblood and home to the world's richest store of biodiversity.
Marine expert Professor Chou Loke Ming, a key member of the two projects, said: 'My vision is that we can be a centre for reef restoration in view of the extent of reef degradation.' Urbanisation has wiped out over 60 per cent of the reefs here, but the estimated 30 sq km that has survived is almost as rich as ever. The reefs fringing Singapore's more than 50 southern offshore islands are home to about 200 species of hard coral - a quarter of the global total - as well as 20 species of soft coral and more than 130 types of fish. Sediment is the arsenic of coral, and because of the reclamation and dredging work here and heavy volume of marine traffic, it is present in large amounts in Singapore waters. But species here seem to have miraculously developed some immunity to the milky waters, thriving in the shallows where sunlight can penetrate.
Marine expert Professor Chou Loke Ming, a key member of the two projects, said: 'My vision is that we can be a centre for reef restoration in view of the extent of reef degradation.' Urbanisation has wiped out over 60 per cent of the reefs here, but the estimated 30 sq km that has survived is almost as rich as ever. The reefs fringing Singapore's more than 50 southern offshore islands are home to about 200 species of hard coral - a quarter of the global total - as well as 20 species of soft coral and more than 130 types of fish. Sediment is the arsenic of coral, and because of the reclamation and dredging work here and heavy volume of marine traffic, it is present in large amounts in Singapore waters. But species here seem to have miraculously developed some immunity to the milky waters, thriving in the shallows where sunlight can penetrate.
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