Corals to be grown on land and transplanted into oceans to stop extinction

Coral reefs are dying at a drastic rate and in order to save them, for the first time, a firm has planned to corals on land and then transplant it to the dying corals in seas.

Startup named Coral Vita is building world’s first commercial, land-based coral farm where it can grow coral to later transplant it into the world’s oceans. These farms can prove to be a great opportunity to help save one of the Earth’s most valuable natural resources.

Coral farming involves removing pieces of coral from coral reefs and then nurturing their growth in an underwater farm, once grown, the farmers then transplant the coral into a degraded reef. However, the problem with this underwater coral farm is that its conducive neither to large-scale projects nor ones focused on slow-growing corals, reported Futurism.

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But as per Coral Vita, by growing coral in land-based farms, it can utilize processes that aren’t possible under water like microfragmenting that lets the firm to accelerate the growth rate to some corals by up to 50 times.

Also, with land-based farming, the firm is able to control every aspect of a coral’s growing conditions. This can further ensure the company that the coral it grows is more resistant to threats such as increased water acidification and higher temperatures.

Coral reefs are important for various reasons, not only do they play a great role in the global economy, but also provide food for humans, homes for wildlife, and protect our shorelines.

“We plan to sell restoration services to resorts, developers, governments, coastal insurers, and everyone else who depends on these benefits. Simultaneously, our farms function as eco-tourism attractions, where people can experience coral farming, adopt corals for restoration, and even plant corals with our teams,” co-founder Sam Teicher told Yale News.

Meanwhile, Teicher admits that the farm cannot eradicate the problem entirely. He said, “A lot of people are looking for hope right now. Restoration is not a silver bullet, but until our leaders step up now to stop killing reefs and the ecosystems that sustain us all, it’s a necessary strategy to help keep them alive.”