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Vabbinfaru
Lotus Reef Restoration
Project Launched Successfully
Banyan Tree
Maldives Vabbinfaru
November, 2001
Under the supervision of architect
Prof. Wolf Hilbertz, coral scientist Dr. Tom Goreau, and Abdul Azeez Abdul
Hakeem, Marine Envionmental Consultant to Banyan Tree Maldives, and with the
help of a large number of enthusiastic staff and even the assistance of some of
the guests, the two meters high and 12 meters in diameter Vabbinfaru Lotus, a
unique reef restoration project, has been successfully launched in November
2001.
The structure, shaped in
the form of a giant Lotus flower, was designed and built by the specialists
right on site at the northern beach of the island under the curious eyes of
holidaymakers as well as all the staff members of the Banyan Tree Maldives.
During the duration of the construction work, which lasted one week, the
scientists were happy to find so much interest among guests and employees, who
were all eager to learn more about this exciting coral reef restoration project
and its background.
Coral reefs are the mosr
complex ecosystems in the sea and are often described as the rainforests of the
ocean. All around the world and also throughout the Maldives, these
“rainforests“ have been severely affected by rising global temperatures
responsible for the bleaching and death of corals. In 1998 record high water
temperatures killed most of the corals throughout the Indian Ocean, and
Maldivian reefs, the best in the region, didn’t escape the effects. A method
invented by Prof. Hilbertz and Dr. Goreau called Mineral Accretion now enables
them to restore marine habitats by using completely safe low voltage electrical
currents to grow solid limestone structures in the sea and making additional
energy available for the corals, thus accelerating coral growth, reproduction,
increasing their ability to resist environmental stresses, making the corals
visibly brighter colored and in general healthier.
The Vabbinfaru Lotus is
not only a visually appealing object but combines aesthetics with purpose. It is
aimed at acting as a coral nursery, a Coral Ark that maintains species
diversity. With its open flower shape, the Vabbinfaru Lotus‘ surface area is
maximized, inviting the sun to promote development and growth of corals. Half a
ton of welded construction reinforcing bar was used to build the frame, which
was then carried by around 40 volunteers through the shallow lagoon and
deposited on the slope of Vabbinfaru’s outer reef. The Lotus is now located in a
depth between 3 and 10 meters.
As soon as the structure
was placed in its final position, naturally broken pieces of live coral that had
been damaged by waves and corals that were growing on top of loose rocks and
rubble were rescued by the team of specialists and placed on the Lotus. These
coral fragments were either attached to the frame by wedging them into crevices
or using plastic cable ties to secure them firmly so they will not move with the
waves. Around 900 meters of cable have been connected to the Vabbinfaru Lotus.
The electricity for the Lotus, which uses around 600 watts of power, only a
little more than each of the fish-attracting lights on the jetty, comes from
transformers converting high voltage alternating current into low voltage direct
current.
Now divers and snorkelers
can watch this incredible and magical process as within a few days to weeks
those fixed fragments are solidly cemented in place as white limestone grows
around them. Coral larvae, which are tiny free swimming baby corals, will settle
on this clean limestone rock produced by Mineral Accretion. All other forms of
coral reef life will quickly follow, transforming this Mineral Accretion
structure into a real coral reef, dominated by corals with a high density and
with a complete and diversified selection of normal reef creatures.
The same method was
previously used very successfully by this team on the neighboring island of
Angsana Ihuru, which is also under Banyan Tree’s umbrella, and well known for
its reputation as an environmentally conscious and “green“ island, where coral
survival was dramatically enhanced by applying Mineral Accretion technology. The
Ihuru Barnacle project, a volcano shaped artificial reef structure, about 4
meters tall and 6 meters across, located in 6 meters depth, was started exactly
five years earlier in November 1996, and has become a colorful and fertile mini
ecosystem of its own. Also on Angsana Ihuru, the “Necklace“, a submerged
breakwater structure in the lagoon, about 40 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1.5
meters high, is protecting the nearby beach through Mineral Accretion. The
growing limestone on the structure, which has already achieved a thickness of up
to 20 cm in places, helps break the force of the waves and reduce erosion on the
beach. A third feature on Ihuru are three identical truncated pyramids in deeper
water which serve as coral nurseries and homes for fish and other organisms. In
1998, when most corals in the natural reef died of heat shock, 60-80% of the
corals growing on the structures survived.
Now with the Vabbinfaru
Lotus as one more of Banyan Tree’s reef restoration projects in place, another
vital step has been taken to keep the rainforests of the sea, those wonders of
the underwater world with all their delicate beauty and compelling fascination,
alive.
Additonal
Papers on the Vabinfaru Lotus Reef Restoration Project:
Vabbinfaru Lotus
Preliminary Coral Transplantation Report
For more information on the
Vabbinfaru Lotus please contact Azeez or Anwar at the Resort Host desk. For more
information on Mineral Accretion, other projects, and worldwide efforts to save
coral reefs, please contact Wolf Hilberta at
saya@loxinfo.co.th, Tom Goreau at
goreau@bestweb.net, or Azeez Hakeem at
a.azeez@banyantree.com.
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