As of now 30 families are working in the farm. Two reef sites have been rehabilitated with 6,000 farm-grown coral fragments. These activities generate income for fisherfolk, maintenance of the farm and for community projects which benefit the entire village people. The social impacts are rated "high" because indicators such as abandoning of any destructive fishing gears (dynamite- and cyanide fishing), acceptability/support of the project and increase of environmental awareness show slowly a change of values. "Yesterday we were killing undersized reef fishes to feed our families, today we grow corals and improve our reefs" said Luceno Torriefel, President of the fishermen's organisation, during a meeting on the impact of the coral farming activities.
Ecological impacts of the rehabilitated reef sites are promising, too. Particularly the physical protection through the coral fargments deployed in degraded reef sites appear to favour higher coral recruit survival and more reef associated invertebrates compared to not rehabilitated areas.
Currently, the coral farm has 266 Coral Nursery Units (CNU's) containing approx. 22,000 fragments ready for deployment. Export of farm-grown corals could be a further option for additional income of the fisherfolk and could even pay for reef rehabilitation in the Philippines, but the national laws ban any kind of coral trade. The net costs of this simple technology is 2,100 US$ for one hectare reef at 2 fragments per squaremeter (this is equivalent to a reef belt of 20 m width and 500 m length). Considering the economic benefits provided by healthy reefs (sustainable fish catch, tourism, biodiversity, coastal protection, etc.) this is an interesting long-term investment.
The Coral Farm Project was funded by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) through the Tropical Ecology Support Program, the Center for International Migration and Development, Center for Higher Education Department and the Foerderkreis der Riffaquarianer, e.V. Should you have any inquiries regarding the project, please contact the project's manager, Thomas Heeger at: theeger@mangga.usc.edu.ph.
Photo 1: The fragments are carefully cut using pliers
or hammer and chisel. Usually 10 to 20% of a donor colony is taken, in no
case more than 50%. Experiments have shown, that the donor or "mother" corals
regrow within a few weeks.
Photo 2: The women of the community tie the fragments
on fossile limestone with ordinary wire. They are compensated for their labor.
Photo 3: After the fragments are fixed on the substrate,
they will be immediately be transferred to the Coral Nursery Units (CNU's)
for the growth-out phase which takes 6 to 8 weeks according to the species.
Photo 4: The polyps of this Acropora fragment have firmly attached to the substrate. This fragment is ready for transfer to the rehabilitation site of a reef.
Photo 5: Fish-eye view of the coral farm. There are 266 Coral Nursery Units in the farm with approx. 22,000 fragments on a 2 hectare area.
