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Restore Reef Habitat, Says Expert

DR. Thomas J. Goreau, president of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, spoke at the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) on Monday, January 27, expounding on the "incredible value" of coral reefs and the need to restore coral reef habitat in the midst of rising temperatures worldwide. "Conservation as we do it can no longer work," said Dr. Goreau, adding that most conversation areas now are full of dead and dying coral reefs. Instead, he promoted active restoration of coral through a method called Biorock that he pioneered with colleague Wolf Hilbertz.

Global Coral Reef Alliance president Dr. Thomas J. Goreau talking about the value of the Biorock method at PICRC on Monday.

In the Biorock method, a small amount of low-voltage direct electric current flows into a steel framework placed in the ocean where a coral reef is desired. Limestone grows on the steel and forms an ideal base for coral growth. After limestone covers the steel, coral is transplanted onto the framework. With this method, coral grows 3 to 5 times faster than normal and is much more resistant to environmental stress like high temperatures and pollution. Soon, the framework is covered in coral and has turned into a thriving coral reef that attracts fish.

This kind of coral restoration is necessary because global warming has increased temperatures worldwide and killed 95% of the world's coral reefs. Dr. Goreau repeatedly emphasized the fact that global warming is the cause of hotter temperatures, not El Nino. 1998 was the hottest year in history, followed closely by 2002, and the heat ruins the conditions that coral needs to grow. "We are headed for extinction of coral reef systems as we know it," said Dr. Goreau, and the only thing to do is actively restore coral habitat. Coral reefs are "very small oases in a very big desert"; they make up only 1/1000^th of the ocean but provide habitat for one-fourth of ocean fishes. It is vitally important to restore coral reefs, and Dr. Goreau is interested in setting up a pilot project using the Biorock method in Palau before it is too late to save our corals.

Dr. Goreau, a native of Jamaica, hails from a family of divers and underwater pioneers. His grandfather took the first high-quality underwater photos, and his father was the first to use coral reefs as a research school. Both his father and grandfather worked in the Marshall Islands in the 1940s, and his father took photographs in Palau in the 1960s. Dr. Goreau came to Palau at the invitation of Hatohobei State Governor Sabino Sakarias. Nearly 50 people attended the talk on Monday, including government officials, representatives of environmental agencies, and the Environmental Science class from Palau Community College.#