SINGAPORE: Singapore’s most extensive and ambitious coral restoration effort to date was launched by the National Parks Board (NParks) on Tuesday (Dec 10).
The project will take place “over the next 10 years and beyond,” the agency said, with 100,000 corals to be planted in the waters of the city-state in order to improve the resilience of Singapore’s coral communities and reefs, NParks said in a Facebook post.
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced the initiative in June 2023 at the 5th Asia-Pacific Coral Reef Symposium.
While there are existing efforts to boost Singapore’s coral communities and reefs, including Garden City Fund’s Plant-A-Coral Seed-A-Reef program, this new initiative will ramp these up.
It involves growing corals in nurseries at the Marine Park Outreach and Education Centre (MPOEC) coral culture facility and then bringing the nubbins, which are small coral fragments, to degraded reefs for transplanting to restore the reefs.
Alternatively, they will also be transplanted to other areas to start new coral communities.
NParks said that every piece of transplanted nubbins will contribute towards this ambitious target of 100,000 corals.
With support from the Friends of Marine Park community, NParks is partnering with the National University of Singapore’s coral restoration researchers and experts at St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory to cultivate corals at a new coral culture facility.
It will also rely on smart technology to optimize the coral cultivation process at the lab.
“Corals are keystone reef-building animals that support a marine ecosystem, and an estimated one-quarter of marine species depend on coral reefs to survive.
They are also a potential nature-based solution to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, serving as a natural defence against shoreline erosion while providing habitats for a rich array of marine biodiversity,” NParks says.
All about the 100K Corals Initiative
The initiative is particularly timely and relevant, given the vulnerability of the corals in Singapore to the impact of climate change.
However, one does not need to be a researcher or expert to participate or help out. Individuals and organizations alike can support the project by giving toward it. Details for donations may be found here.
Donors with a valid NRIC/FIN number for individuals or local UEN/Business Registration Number for organizations will be entitled to a 2.5 times tax deduction.
Additionally, donors who give a minimum of S$200 will also be issued a personalized e-certificate of recognition and an e-brochure on local marine conservation and will be placed on an exclusive mailing list that will include invitations to talks, events, and updates on 100K CoraIs Initiative.
Those who give a minimum of S$2,000 will also receive the benefits above and be entitled to join a St John’s Island Guided Walk for two.
Featured image from gardencityfund.gov.sg /TISG