Reefscapers – Reef Regeneration Experts

In 2021, Only Earth teamed up with Reefscapers to start propagating corals and restoring coral reefs on the locally inhabited island of Fulhadhoo in the Maldives.

The Reefscapers international team of marine biologists have been working on marine environmental projects for 20 years. From humble beginnings back in 2001, the husband and wife co-founders Thomas and Marie have expanded to work on projects up and down the Maldives and internationally. Joined along the way by specialists in engineering, data science, aquaculture and animal husbandry, Reefscapers creates bespoke solutions in everything from reef restoration and coastal erosion, to the development and operation of complete marine education centres (such as Marine Savers).

Our team quickly develop their marine conservation skills in a busy and pioneering workplace, and many Reefscapers staff over the years have since moved on to new ventures within the Maldives and overseas, spreading their reef regenerating skills and establishing successful marine conservation projects of their own.

Only Earth

Climate change is happening in front of our eyes. Globally, the 20 warmest years on record have all occurred in the last 22 years. One million species are at risk of extinction, with immense detrimental effects to human life.

How can we save our planet? It’s our duty to fight for the survival of every living thing on our Only Earth, so we incorporated preserving the planet into our business.

Plant-based foods are friendly to the planet. The global consumption of meat and dairy is unsustainable, and food production accounts for 26% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Up to 83% of farmland is dedicated to livestock, which themselves consume enough animal feed to healthily sustain the entire human population.

We need to change the way we eat. That’s where a plant-based diet comes in: more efficient methods of food production, with lower environmental footprint, to meet the global population’s food requirements without compromising on nutrition.

The message is simple: changing your diet helps to fight climate change, one step at a time.

The Project

In 2021, Only Earth teamed up with Reefscapers to start propagating corals and restoring coral reefs on the locally inhabited island of Fulhadhoo in the Maldives.

We are planning the construction and transplantation of a new artificial reef structure comprising of 30 coral frames, due to start in July 2021. This is timed to follow the seasonally hottest part of the year (February to May), as we know from experience that newly transplanted coral fragments are particularly vulnerable to elevated ocean temperatures and more susceptible to coral bleaching. By starting our new, wide-spread coral propagation project in July, we are giving our coral fragments the best chance to encrust onto their frames and to start growing, well before the seasonally elevated ocean temperatures in 2022.

On the local island of Fulhadhoo, we plan to expand our coral propagation work beyond the initial trials of test frames sited at various locations around the island. This will expand the training and educational opportunities for our local team (who actually construct the frames), and will minimise the carbon footprint of the whole project by eliminating the need for any fossil-fuel powered transportation of the completed frames. We are manufacturing the frames on site, transplanting with locally harvested coral fragments, and will manually transport the frames to their final locations in the lagoon around Fulhadhoo.

Thanks to Only Earth, we are now able to expand our resort-based tourist-oriented projects out to the island communities, to increase local awareness of the susceptibility of coral reefs to elevated ocean temperatures brought about by long-term climate change. By experimentation with environmental parameters, we hope to mitigate the risks to our corals, and optimise health and growth rates to produce a flourishing artificial reef. Our local team will refine their coral propagation and monitoring techniques, and learn valuable practical skills normally only available for marine science graduates.

After placement in the lagoon, our new coral frames quickly become home to a variety of marine species, and the structures form an important role as ‘fish nursery’ for fry and juveniles after just a few months. As the initial phase of coral frames starts to grow and mature after 18-24 months, we will then be able to harvest new coral fragments directly from our frames, for re-transplantation onto our new frames in the future. This is very similar to the techniques used in land-based gardening, as we essentially take ‘cuttings’ from healthy corals and re-transplant them to form new coral colonies. This way, we propagate the healthy coral varieties and species that are proven to be more resilient to local environmental factors and are better suited to grow and flourish in the specific micro-habitats.

Over recent years, several small guest houses have opened up on the island of Fulhadhoo, and as our One Earth project matures, our education program will expand to embrace local island-based tourism. This increased environmental awareness in the importance and fragility of coral reef ecosystems will create engagement and open up sponsorship channels to grow our artificial reefs yet further.