In March, a total of 20 new frames were placed in the lagoon around Kuda Huraa, mainly on the House Reef and Green Lagoon at depths of 5m. Frame monitoring was conducted on the House Reef and Channel sites, with occasional frames being raised up from the sand using rocks to reduce sinking.
A further 38 new frames were transplanted last month around Landaa Giraavaru, with 383 frames successfully monitored (photographed and maintained).
Some coral bleaching was observed this month (mainly in Acropora cytherea), possibly due to disease or predation (Drupella snails), rather than warm water temperatures (click on the photo, below).
We recently played host to a small group of students and teachers from Lale school, Hulhumalé. The students were particularly interested in our coral propagation work, as they plan to start a small coral project of their own, close to Lale School.
The tour of our facilities started with a short Reefscapers video presentation, and a discussion about our marine fish aquaria to view the coral polyps and colonies up close. This was followed by snorkelling out to one of our mature project sites, to see the positive effects of adding coral frames into the lagoon. This was an exciting first time experience for some of the students, and they were able see multi-coloured healthy corals, teaming with marine life.
After a quick tea break, the students finished off with a tour around our turtle rehabilitation and head start facility, followed by an enthusiastic Q&A session about our Marine Savers work.
It was a very enjoyable day for all, and we look forward to further outreach educational days with local schools in the future. If you would like to know more about our marine conservation projects, please Contact Us to arrange a visit for your school or youth group.