Reefs of Hope South Pacific Expansion

There is much to share! 

- The Interiational Coral Reef Initiative, a UN affiliated organization, nominated C4C and the Reefs of Hope program for an EarthShot Prize!  If we are awarded the prize, a million pounds will be given and we will focus on rapid upscaling of coral rescue and gene banking in 15 island nations.  We will declare "The Great Coral Rescue of 2026-27" to carry out emergency rescue of heat adapted corals from jeopardized coral populatons. A marine heat wave has now formed that surpasses even the 2023-24 marine heat wave. https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/?dm_id=world2

- In early December, an intensive three week field trip was carried out to Tuvalu with our local partner org Fuligafou, with extensive time spent in the water.  Our report was well received and establishes Tuvalu as having the most bleaching impacted coral reefs on the planet, with 99.99% of the corals killed during the 9-month marine heat wave that hit in 2024. However, after extensive searching we have found small surviving coral populations in six sites and a new coral nursery was created.  With this new hope, the focus is now on restoring reproduction to the surviving coral species simply by bringing them close together within nurseries. We have hired a Tuvaluan marine science MS student to follow the coral recovery work in Tuvalu with the local NGO in our absense and he will use the data for his thesis. Photos of the Tuvalu work are posted below.

- In February a team of three international scientists came to our main Fiji site to launch CORDAP funded research focused on proof of concept science to verify and refine the new models we are implementing.  Thermal stress tests for corals, plus drone scientists are mapping the hot pocket reefs and nursery sites.  

- In mid March, we carried out a coral taxonomy workshop for 20 participants, with visiting scientist Dr Douglas Fenner. Plantation Island Resort supported the workshop by providing free accommodation, venue, and boats, and a big discount on meals. 

- We have just returned from a second coral taxonomy workshop in Vanuatu with the support of the government Fisheries Ministry providing the venue and lunch, and with Iririki Resort providing free accommodation and meals for the two scientists.  Scoping of the Vanuatu reefs was done and indicates good environmental conditions and great porential for the reefs around the resort to become a national training site, centrally located and easily accessible.  A national level coral workshop and significant coral work is being scheduled there for May once the ocean cools as the southern winter aproaches. 

- We are now back and are being forced to shift into crisis mode, as a severe mass coral bleaching has hit our Naidiri site, and corals are beginning to die. Fortunately the heat resistant corals at Bula Nursery at the Malolo site remain unbleached, however, the marine heat wave is increasing in intensity and is expected to peak in late April.  We will use this crisis to select the few corals that are resistant to bleaching, and we will spend as much time as possible moving the corals into cooler water nurseries to secure them for the future.  Cloud Nine, a floating restaurant on the outer reef at Malolo, has come on board to support the program by purchasing the materials for a new coral rescue nursery to be placed in cooler waters of the outer reef.  The nursery will be built in early April, and we hope to rescue as many of the unbleached heat resistant corals as possible in May, moving them to cooler waters to secure them from what looks to be a record hot year developing for 2027. 

Without the support of so many people like you we could not accomplish this vital work keeping corals alive and in diverse genetic condition!

Loving regards from the Corals for Conservation team.