Reef Restoration
Advances in technology and methods now make reef restoration and mitigation of development impacts to reefs feasible in a large number of cases. Our Team have been involved in reef restoration projects in Asia, Middle East, Caribbean and the US.
Restoration strategies need to be cost effective and take into consideration local resources and future management of the area. In some cases it is best to allow natural recovery and we will advise if we believe this is the case.
Funding restoration can be via a range of sources including the tourism industry and we are experienced in identifying opportunities and sustainable funding strategies.
Reefs are one of the most diverse living structures on the planet and reef restoration often requires a range of strategies and technologies. SOI is the only company that provides a range of proven technologies for the task.
We provide customised services to meet your needs:
- Site assessment and recommendations outlining extent and nature of restoration required, feasibility, options and costs
- Coral Managemen Plans, Coral Impact Mitigation Plans for development approvals, EIA or EMPs
- Project management of restoration efforts
- Coral transplanting, propagation and coral nurseries
- Stabilization of coral rubble or toppled coral colonies
- Reconstruction of reef structure
- Designed artificial reefs to replace critical habitat lost or to assist regrowth
Training Available in Reef CPR!
Are you tired of just monitoring and documenting how many corals have bleached or have been killed? Are you tired of just watching your coral reefs die?
All dive centres, NGO's, community groups, and resorts should have staff trained in Reef CPR (coral preservation and restoration)!
We have a range of proprietary training modules specifically designed for community programs, dive centres, volunteers and tourists that want to reduce impacts to reefs and facilitate recovery. We call it Reef CPR (coral preservation and restoration).
Thousands and thousands of hours are spent by divers underwater that could be spent conducting Reef CPR! Many divers are begging to help save the broken corals they have to swim past and they are willing to pay to be involved. With reefs in such a critical condition around the world, it is crazy to not take advantage of this willing workforce. Therefore every dive centre and resort in a coral area should have key staff that are trained in Reef CPR.
Our unique Reef Recovery Program includes Reef CPR and is the only training course available that combines the science, the art and the business model you need to implement an effective and sustainable reef restoration program.
This program has been designed for resorts and dive centres that need a fun and rewarding reef recovery program that is not only effective but generates its own revenue, therefore reducing financial pressure on you. We have all run our own dive centres and ecotours, therefore we understand your needs as a business owner or manager. We understand the need to maintain or enhance the customer experience, and professional presentation and training.
We customise the program to suit your specific application and objectives and we can help you determine the most important priorities for your area.
We recommend three key steps in our Reef Recovery Program and we can assist you with one of them or all of them.
>> Contact us now to discuss your training needs.
>> Reef Rescue Diver_Level 1_course outline
Reefs at risk...
The video below does a fantastic job of highlighting the threats reefs face around the world and the desperate need for action.
Contact us now to discuss our new CPR (Coral Preservation and Restoration) courses designed to specifically tackle reef degradation on a local level while also providing local employment.
VIDEO: This video shows us installing a light logger on a reef in the Arabian Gulf that we are surveying for a dredging project. Light loggers are one of the many tools we use in assessing reefs for coral relocation and restoration.
Roy to the Rescue!
As part of our contribution to World Oceans Day and the theme of 'Youth: the Next Wave for Change' we are excited to introduce three enthusiastic volunteers that want to share with kids important messages regarding reef restoration and how to help keep our reefs healthy and more resistant to climate change.
Designed for resort programs, marine ed centres, community groups and schools, the Activities can be downloaded and copied and used as you wish. We will be continually working on new Activities and welcome your input.
The three volunteers are:
Roy Sharpie a long spined urchin (Diadema antillarum)
Aristotle Acropora Amadeus (Ari) a branching coral who likes the finer things in life
Barry the Boulder Coral (Bazzer) who is big, lived a long time and key building block in the reef
Activity #1: the value of urchins on the reef
This first Activity is simple but includes a very important message.
Think of a reef as a city...
Healthy reefs are vibrant underwater cities providing opportunity, food and refuge. Unfortunately like some cities, they too can become the equivalent of slums...providing limited opportunity, limited food and poor quality refuge.
Of the 109 countries with coral reefs, 90 of them are being damaged due to tourism (TIES 2006). Our goal is to help implement strategies to reduce this impact and restore the underwater slums back to vibrant healthy neighbourhoods.
>> Download our Tech Note: Designing Artificial Reefs and Cities - the shared principles
>> Download our Tech Note: ADAM - 4 fundamental stages in artificial reef construction
In the News
We have a winner!
Sustainable Ocean Innovation Award 2012
...and the award goes to...GhostNets Australia for their work in northern Australia tackling the serious problem of lost fishing nets called 'ghost nets'.
The group has found ghost nets measuring 10km long and recorded a myriad of marine species that get entangled as the nets drift along with the currents. The litany of marine casualties include turtles, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, crocodiles, rays and of course, multitudes of fish. The destruction caused by ghost nets continues as they near shore, often wrapping themselves around delicate coral reefs and coastal mangrove systems.
"The GhostNets Australia program is a fantastic example of innovation in action. Solving our environmental problems needs a healthy dose of lateral thinking in order to first see a solution and then brainstorm a way to make it happen" said David Lennon, director of Sustainable Oceans International.
>>Read the media release here: Sustainable Ocean Innovation Award 2012
878 trees to save Orang Utans
SOI through the fantastic giving portal Buy 1 Give 1 (www.b1g1.com) donates a percentage of every project to planting trees in Borneo for Orang Utan habitat.
We just purchased 100 more trees today as part of our Bahrain project with Reef Arabia. That makes 878 in total we've added to the planet rather than taken away from the planet.
Why not join us and include B1G1 in your business!
SOI constructs first 'cod house' to help save Murray cod
Murray cod are Australia's largest freshwater fish and overfishing and loss of essential habitat has decimated their numbers. SOI has been contracted to design and construct a concrete unit to help restore some of the essential breeding habitat the fish require. Sidescan image by ACT Government.
SOI wins 2 Year Contract - Bahrain
SOI and partner Reef Arabia have won a two year contract to design, build and monitor 10 artificial reefs around Bahrain.
>>Further details and photos of deployment of first reef in Bahrain
>>Bahrain newspaper article in Arabic
Four reefs have been deployed thus far. This is the first project of its kind to be constructed in the Arabian Gulf and the first to use custom reef units (designed by SOI) specifically for the local species.
SOI Completes Coral Mitigation Plan for New Doha Port
SOI conducted the necessary surveys and prepared the coral mitigation plans for the New Doha Port construction. This included accurate coral surveys to quantify the size, type and number of corals within the imperiled and threatened zones, and detailed recommendations on relocation methodology, relocation sites and compensatory artificial reefs to offset loss of productive reef structure.
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