Seychelles Hosts Regional Workshop on Revolutionary Coral Micro-Fragmentation Technique
VICTORIA, Seychelles — A group of individuals conducting research on corals and species restoration are taking part in a five-day masterclass on a new technique called micro-fragmentation. The technique, developed by Dr David Vaughan, founder and head of the ‘Plant a Million Corals’ organisation based in Florida, involves cutting corals into smaller fragments that grow significantly faster than traditional methods, accelerating coral growth and representing a significant advancement in reef restoration efforts.
Dr Vaughan is leading the workshop, covering topics such as land nursery operations, branching and massive coral restoration, and coral sexual reproduction. The training, a first for Seychelles, is being organised by Nature Seychelles in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Seychelles, and is part of the regional Coral Reef Restoration Project being carried out in Seychelles and Mauritius with financial support from the Adaptation Fund. The official opening of the sessions was held yesterday morning at the CORAL facility located at Amitié on Praslin.
The chief executive of Nature Seychelles, Dr Nirmal Shah, said the micro-fragmentation technique is a game changer and the next level up. ‘The main challenge being faced by coral reefs is the effect of climate change and it is getting worse every year. That is why we need new techniques, which can also help to make corals more resilient to the heat,’ he said. The UNPD project coordinator for Seychelles, Daig Romain, noted that since 2014, the partnership has successfully restored 1.5 hectares of degraded reefs with over 111,000 coral fragments cultivated in the ocean nursery.
