Coral transplantation

On good weather days when the sea is calm and the currents are not too strong, resort guests can participate in our coral transplantation projects. At Angsana Ihuru, we have set up an artificial coral garden that has proven to be exceptionally resilient. Over the past few years 70% of transplanted corals have grown successfully and survived the odds of nature. Just like plants in a normal garden, some corals do not escape snails and predators, which love the tasty multi-colored coral species; but overall, our efforts have been most rewarding.

The wonderful thing about taking part in this eco-project is that you can plant your own corals and see how much they have grown when you return to the island a few years later. It’s a labor-intensive method of preserving the marine environment but worthwhile in the long run. The basic idea is to use marine cement to attach broken pieces of living coral to dead corals in the sea. The process requires guests to kneed cement into balls; place them on dead coral formations and plant broken baby corals on top. The cement hardens after 3 to 4 hours. It gives the baby corals the necessary support to prevent them from being washed away by the waves.

Surprisingly, some coral species love the cement and thrive in this habitat – which ones prosper most is our trade secret. You have to come to the resort to find out.