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On good
weather days when the sea is calm and the currents are not too strong,
resort guests can participate in the coral transplantation projects. At Angsana Ihuru,
they 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, every effort has been very much 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 the trade secret. You have to come
to the resort to find out.
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