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.
>> Click here to download our Reef CPR flyer
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 including training to meet your needs:
- Site assessment and recommendations outlining extent and nature of restoration required, feasibility, options and costs
- Coral Management Plans (CMP), Coral Impact Mitigation Plans for development approvals, EIA or EMPs
- Project management of restoration efforts
- Coral relocation - safe and effective relocation of priority colonies out of dredge zones
- Coral transplanting, propagation and coral nurseries to provide the coral frags for repopulating degraded reefs or constructed reefs/seawalls, or sustainable supply for the aquarium industry
- Stabilization of coral rubble or toppled coral colonies to facilitate natural recovery
- Reconstruction of reef structure to facilitate natural recovery and restore essential fish habitat to prevent the loss of important fish species from the area
- Designed artificial reefs to receive coral frags or relocated corals, or 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)!
Reef CPRTM includes 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.
>> Download our Reef CPR flyer
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.
>> Click here to download our Reef CPR flyer
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
Reef Building Bali!
Looking to make a positive impact on your next dive trip? Tired of just looking at reefs and want to help rebuild them?
Join us this September for 12 days of fun positive impact diving in Bali and Gili Air. You will learn how to design and build artificial reefs, Reef CPR and work with the wonderful locals on rebuilding damaged reef areas.
Get the the details here, and feel free to shoot us an email if you have questions: https://www.dive2u.com/bali-reef-building-trip-safari
Seawall Enhancement via addition of Concrete Habitat Panels
SOI Director David Lennon is excited to see phase two of SIMS World Harbour Project roll out which involves the addition of 500 concrete custom designed habitat panels to Sydney seawalls to increase oysters and biodiversity in general.
David has been involved in the project from conception through his affiliation with the Reef Design Lab which he co-founded with Alex Goad. Enhancing seawalls and designing new seawalls for increased biodiversity is an important advancement in coastal engineering design that David has been promoting since the 90's. SOI can provide a range of services for seawall design or enhancement. Contact us to discuss your project.
Papua New Guinea Coral Relocation
In Dec 2017, SOI was contracted by Pacific Marine Group to relocate over 260 priority corals out of the area where a sewage outfall trench was to be dredged.
The project was a success and bommies up to 3m in dia and 2m high were relocated to safety. We also relocated associated fauna such as numerous anenomes with clownfish, a range of other fishes living in the corals, as well as urchins.
Hyundai Power Plant Artificial Reef Design (Red Sea, Saudi)
SOI designed the artificial reefs to offset impacts from dredging and construction of seawater intake infrastructure for the power plant. We used three different reef unit designs and a total of 500 units in various configurations to recplicate natural bommies that were impacted and to provide productive habitat for commercial fish species.
Reclamation Offset (Arabian Gulf, Saudi)
SOI designed the artificial reefs to offset the impacts from reclamation of 4.4million m2 of sandy nearshore seabed. A total of 1,300 reef units of three different sizes were deployed in specific configurations to maximise ecological benefits.
Fish Friendly Marinas
Here's an article by SOI Director David Lennon in the Dec issue of the Marina Industry Associations magazine.
>> Fish friendly marina design
SOI can provide the full suite of services from assessing marinas and recommending strategies to increase fish habitat, to providing and deploying the most appropriate fish habitat. Retrofitting a marina is always the most costly option so if you are designing are marina, get in touch with us and we can show you the most cost and ecologically effective strategies to boost biodiversity and fish numbers.
Qater reef constructed to offset port impacts
SOI prepared the coral mitigation plan for the new Doha Port to reduce impacts of this important project and this included coral relocation and construction of a purpose designed artificial reef.
SOI's sister company Reef Arabia based in Bahrain, manufactured, delivered and deployed the concrete reef units for this mitigation requirement.
Culturally Sensitive Artificial Reef Design
Local customs and architecture are considered when planning new buildings...as underwater architects, we believe there are benefits of doing the same when designing a reef.
But its not just about designing a pretty replica for the seabed! The design must also appeal to the marine life of the area.
We describe a good example of how this can be done in our Tech Note 4 - download here .
World's First 3D printed Artificial Reef!
In a world first, an advanced construction sized 3D printer has been used by SOI to revolutionise artificial reef design and produce reef units that look and function like a natural reef, a major step forward in a bid to restore lost and damaged reefs around the world.
>> Read the full media release here
Latest underwater footage from Bahrain artificial reef program
Reef 6, eight weeks after deployment.
Australia Unlimited features SOI
Australian innovation and can-do efficiency is restoring the world’s ocean reefs and creating sustainable marine environments.
Read this article and the background on why we do what do >>click here .
By Kristie Kellahan
http://www.australiaunlimited.com/environment/sustainable-success
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 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"l.
>>Read the media release here: Sustainable Ocean Innovation Award 2012
SOI constructs first 'cod cave' 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. September surveys found a 1.03m Murray Cod right on top of a cod cave so that was very exciting and confirmation they are working. 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 and naval base construction which includes a 10km long shipping channel and impact footprint of 4.5km2. Our mitigation plan 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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