Marine biodiversity and fish stocks have dwindled causing significant impacts not only on the oceans, but also on local communities who rely on fishing for food and economic development.

Concrete stars in reef fabrication

The project designers found that concrete is an ideal material not only for making the framework strong and resistant to the elements, but also due to its low acidity which favors accelerated coral growth. The young corals can therefore be soon harvested and successfully transplanted to other areas. The concrete structures can be adjusted to optimize their placement in terms of access to light and avoiding strong currents. Its shape, with the eight elongated legs is reminiscent of a starfish, Acanthaster plancii, from which the Acanthasia project takes its name.

The “concrete starfish” was first introduced in early-2000 at Duka Bay in the southern Philippines – thus beginning a meticulous data gathering process to document the coral’s development. The project was praised by the Asia Pacific regional jury for addressing not only ecological issues but also considering economic feasibility, social benefits and transferability to other sites.

Funding challenges slow implementation

The planned start of mass production and deployment has been delayed due to a lack of funding, but further research has continued up to coral out-planting. It is intended to replicate the project across a wider area of Gingoog Bay, in the southern Philippines.

Tests sites grow coral and build knowledge

Although restoration plans for the damaged coral reef environment of the Duka Bay through coral transplantation were not comprehensive, the impact of the project generated the following positive effects:

• The transplanted coral reef area has become one of the tourist attractions of the Duka Bay Resort. The influx of local and foreign tourists to the resort generated revenue exceeding the expense of the trial coral transplantation project.
• Fishing communities who originally were responsible for the massive coral reef destruction are now beginning to shift away from fishery exploitation to the more lucrative yet less harmful tourism in Medina. Income from tourism supports fishing families and generated additional economic activity in the sleepy town of Medina.
• The local community, who were initially skeptical about the coral reef rehabilitation project are now convinced that there is income in environmental restoration and conservation. With this experience, environmentalists and other lobby groups would have better chances of disseminating environmental restoration and protection techniques to other communities e.g. the concept of implementing Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) which is often acceptable to coastal townspeople of the country.
• Environmental scientists and academics in the Philippines are encouraged by the success of the project – in seeking sustainable solutions to restoring ecologically-damaged environments both in the marine and terrestrial environment as well.

Coral sustainability showcased – in Germany!

In honor of the annual conference of Nobel laureates on the shores of Lake Constance at Lindau in Germany, a series of scientific presentations under the theme of Discoveries 2009 – Water was exhibited on the island of Mainau in 2009. The exhibition consisted of 20 pavilions of scientific experiments, simulations and displays, demonstrating what science contributes to addressing the challenges of humanity. The Holcim Foundation hosted one of the pavilions by featuring the Acanthasia project and describing in detail the importance of science in sustainable construction and developing an innovative solution to support coral regeneration.