Counting Coral

With this opportunity, Counting Coral would be able to expand it’s marine sculptural park locations, driving wider audience awareness to this time sensitive issue. In turn, this would distribute larger economic benefits for the communities surrounding the marine park. CC would be able to plant out super corals in a variety of locations, expanding restoration sites for spawning super coral. The more locations we have spawning super coral, the more seeding of those super corals can occur on valuable and delicate ecosystems thus alleviating the pressure to handplant fragmented pieces of coral. These sculptures are specifically designed to keep super corals safe from predation, saving hours of reef restorers having to physically remove predators before reef systems get wiped out. Time is running out, and proactive action has to be made in order to protect the small coral reef populations we have left. As time passes, these unique ecosystems will be almost impossible to revive. This initiative can be implemented worldwide, and being selected as a winner would allow us to do so.

Counting Coral’s vision is to create marine protected areas around the world, where large, managed sculptural nurseries can be built. These sculptural nurseries will be managed by Counting Coral or allocated concessions to other dive companies with the sole purpose of having self-generated revenues that can go directly back into reef restoration. The purpose of the self-managed park areas is to escape the trappings and reliance on public and private donations, and move efficiently closer to alleviating the coral crisis. The average nonprofit business model is set to fail, as investors don’t want to invest without a return, and it is hard to get loans in order to build large scale parks. Our initiative is to be self-funded, to generate profits for the nonprofit, and reinvest into collaborative organizations that are planting coral. Worldwide government initiatives have been set; by the year 2030, 30% of oceans are projected to be protected. This is a great overall plan, but they're finding with current marine protected areas that despite being “protected” there is no management for the protection. This is where we differ, as CC and surrounding communities become stakeholders of these parks - thus being able to manage and protect them.

CC is working towards the massive and devastating effects of coral loss. This is caused by a multitude of factors with a focus on rising ocean temperatures, and arises the issues with older methods of coral fragmentation planting. The importance of heat resistant coral, aka super coral, surfaces. We will be initially working in the Fijian community which has lost 30% of their coral reefs. This has been a direct impact on local communities as there is a heavy reliance on fish and revenues from resort operators, and land leases. Losing the reef dramatically decreases oceanic biodiversity in countries like Fiji and directly impacts about a half billion people worldwide who depend on coral reefs. A world without coral not only results in less diverse and beautiful oceans, but an economic disaster for many. A deterioration in fisheries, tourism, food sources, coastal protection, and health industries will result. CC’s work will decrease a percentage of diver traffic off fragile reef systems, and will be planted with heat resistant coral, specifically designed to be protected from predation. At spawning maturity, the coral can naturally propagate. Dive operators, hoteliers, restaurants and the local communities have an added revenue stream and become stakeholders.

Counting Coral’s work is unique as we are changing the way coral gardener’s garden coral. Our new approach to reef restoration is to harvest heat resistant coral on sculptures that are specifically designed to alleviate the predation of the corals, so they become large enough to spawn to naturally repopulate valuable ecosystems. After a minimum of 3 spawning cycles, we have the ability to harvest fragments from heat resistant coral for manual hand planting on heat resistant reefs. We are creating an aesthetic and functional coral nursery that has extensive economic value to business operators and local communities. We will have a unique attraction for tourists to share content worldwide on social media due to the creative nature of what we install, thus driving worldwide awareness on the coral crisis. Counting Coral’s sculptures are made from marine-grade stainless steel, which is a durable and non-corrosive material. Differing from most coral gardening practices, Counting Coral’s structures are not only practical, but are beautifully designed, and add a visually appealing aesthetic to the underwater world.

In one way or another, more than 500 million people depend on coral reefs for food, income, coastal protection, and more. Corals provide three-dimensional structure and substrate to house and feed fish and other marine animals that humans eat. Some estimates say that over 1 billion people depend on food from coral reefs, and reefs as a whole might be worth around $172 billion for every year. Their vitality continues into their ability to dissipate wave energy from storms and tsunamis, and source natural medicines with their unparalleled biodiversity. Creating managed marine protected areas will increase fish biomass on average over 400%, whilst providing these fragile ecosystems support and a chance to restore. Counting Coral is designing, building, donating and installing sculpture nurseries in fragile reef ecosystems, where this support is needed. In addition to the clear impact on the reefs themselves, CC will be supporting the surrounding coastal communities where little funding goes into community projects and restoration, CC will be able to make the dive operators, hoteliers, restaurants and the local communities have an added revenue stream and become stakeholders. This then allows an entirely new way for these livelihoods to change for the better.