The Coral Corps

Over the past year， Weizhou Is- land in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has become a second home for Dr. Niu Wentao and his coral reef ecological conservation and restoration team of the Third Institute of Oceanography under the State Oceanic Administration of China in Xiamen， Fujian Province.

The team， composed of members av- eraging less than 30 years of age， has been working to restore coral reefs in the sea near Weizhou Island， where the reefs have severely deteriorated due to destructive human activities.

Fragile Coral Ecosystem

“The first phase of our coral reef restoration project is set to cover eight hectares， with an eye on 20 hectares in the long run，” declared Dr. Niu.

The institute had already performed some small pilot coral reef restoration projects， but this was their first large-scale operation in China， explained Yu Xingguang， former director-general of the Third Institute of Oceanography， who has guided the institute through long-term coral reef conservation and restoration research.

So far， Dr. Niu’s team has completed a coral nursery as well as the design and production of artificial reefs.

The coral seedlings are still young. If they were directly planted on the seabed， they would be vulnerable to sediment disturbances by frequent human activities in the area.

So the planters wait for the corals to grow to a certain size in the nursery before transplanting them to the seabed. And artificial cement reefs provide an ideal place to attach for further growth.

Recently， however， as the weather has become colder， the low temperature of the seawater has affected the operation. So， Dr. Niu and his team have had to pause their work and wait until next spring.

Mr. Yu encourages the young workers by stressing that the restoration work will never happen quickly and requires long-term commitment. Not only is it labor-intensive and costly， but support from Mother Nature is also crucial and continuing human activities may bring damages.

Throughout the restoration process， Dr. Niu and his team have encountered every conceivable challenge from nature. During a coral reef restoration project in Sanya， Hainan Province， a typhoon destroyed newly installed artificial reefs. Dr. Niu and his colleagues had to readjust the materials and structure of the artificial reefs to make sure the replacement would better resist a typhoon.

“The coral ecosystem is very fragile，”Mr. Yu added. “It’s not easy to revive or protect. Doing so requires great attention from the government as well as public awareness.”

Yu noted that in recent years， the Chinese government has attached increasing importance to the protection of coral reefs.“Thanks to legal protection， scientific research and administrative support， China’s coral reef conservation work has reached a fairly high level compared to that of other countries in the world，” he said.

For two consecutive years since 2016， in the organization of the State Oceanic Administration， the institute has carried out two large-scale scientific surveys of the resources， environment and biodiversity of the South China Sea to get a clearer picture of the living conditions of the local coral reef ecosystem. “The crucial data obtained by those efforts provide solid references and technical support to devise strategies for local marine ecosystem protection，”declared Yu.

After participating in both surveys， Dr. Niu understood both the joy and pain of the process. Each survey took an eight-day trip to the location and back， as well as a month-long stay on a 500-ton research vessel in harsh sea conditions.

During surveys， Dr. Niu and his colleagues dived dozens of meters deep to detect the condition of the coral reefs. So those engaged in coral reef study must learn to scuba dive. Dr. Niu， who was previously unable to swim， started from nothing before earning his first diving certificate. Now， he is a senior diving instructor.

“Excellent diving skills will not only help avoid underwater danger but can also save lives during survey work，” Dr. Niu said. He still remembers that once during an un- dersea survey in Indonesia conducted with local scientists， a scientist’s diving mask dropped to the seafloor. Dr. Niu dived deep to retrieve it to avoid a worse accident.

Coral Preschool

To promote coral reef study， some experts of the institute launched China’s first coral nursery in 2013. Now， its scale is top in the country， especially in coral breeding and propagation.

In the demonstration center of the nursery， scientists carried out various experiments on the study of coral bleaching and other related issues. By probing into the factors and mechanisms that accelerate coral reef decline， they provided technical support for coral reef protection and restoration.

Zheng Xinqing， a coral nursery staffer and researcher of the Third Institute of Oceanography， explained that in order to study all factors causing coral bleaching， the temperature and illumination conditions of the experimental place must be changed constantly.

Not long ago， to test the impact of lighting， Zheng and his colleagues set an alarm clock to remind themselves of collecting data at set times of the day.

In addition to research， the coral nursery has also enhanced public awareness of coral protection and ecological civilization level by demonstrating beautiful coral reef ecosystems.

According to Mr. Yu， because of the vulnerability of coral reef ecosystems， human carelessness can easily harm them. For example， areas rich in coral reefs have always been hot spots for snorkeling and scuba tourists. Divers who lack coral reef protection awareness and behave inappro- priately underwater can inflict damage on the coral reefs. However， that worry is still minor compared to sewage， illegal excavation and other destructive human activities. Furthermore， climate change and global warming could exert a catastrophic influence on the health and sustainable growth of coral reefs.

In Yu’s opinion， the best representatives to directly and effectively arouse public awareness and push social organizations and enterprises into coral reef conservation actions are the reefs themselves.

International Joint Protection

According to Zheng Xinqing， the annual World Ocean Week in Xiamen always attracts numerous officials and marine biology experts from around the world. One year， after an international conference， the vice minister of natural resources of Peru made a special trip to the demonstration center at the Third Institute of Oceanography. Soon after visiting the center， he inquired about the institute assisting Peru in constructing a similar nursery.

“Compared to many other countries， China’s research and development on coral reef protection and restoration began late， but its progress has been particularly rapid，” beamed Yu. With years of experience planting corals， his team has bounced from coral reef protection to large-scale undersea surveys and restoration activities. China is catching up with other countries quickly and vigorously in the field. With the establishment of the marine ecological red line system and the special marine reserves， the prospects for coral reef protection in China are bright.