Maharashtra Mangrove Cell Takes A Step Forward For Coral Restoration

In an attempt to record, and identify stressed coral zones throughout Maharashtra's coastline in addition to assessing the reasons stressing the ecosystem, on Thursday, June 9, the Maharashtra Mangrove Cell appointed the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to undertake a baseline study to identify potential sites for coral restoration, reports stated. 

According to accounts, in the India–United Nations Development Programme-Green Climate Fund (GOI-UNDP-GCF) project, ‘Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities’, the Mangrove Cell signed an agreement with NIO.

The one-year project seeks to identify and record stressed coral zones to understand the reasons stressing the ecosystem. Through this, they look to curtail the stressors whilst looking for adequate particular recipient sites for coral restoration. These will be in sub-tidal regions throughout the state's coast and prospective donor sites for restoration on the state coast amongst other Indian reefs, narratives mentioned. 

It has been reported that an official from the Maharashtra Mangrove Cell believes that the study is a considerable step towards climate resilience with the ocean. Additionally, GPS coordinates of the sites with reef formations will be identified by means of remote sensing tools. 

Narratives suggest that the sites will be evaluated for coral presence, amongst other flora and fauna. Its present condition and the extent of degradation will be studied through remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and scuba divers. Further, the same procedure will be utilized to select places for restoration and continuous monitoring.

On the other hand, in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg project which spanned three years, coral was cultivated and left on ocean beds at a depth which was suitable for its growth, reports cited. Based on accounts, in Mumbai's Haji Ali colonies wherein the coastal road construction is underway, the corals were moved to Navi Nagar in Colaba in November 2020.

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