Coral rubble and the problems it causes - Reef Restoration, Raja Ampat - The SEA People

One of the issues we aim to address in our Yaf Keru Reef Restoration program is the abundance of coral rubble located at a site.

This rubble is typically caused by past dynamite fishing in shallow water at the top of a reef slope, which goes on to present a literal cascade of problems for not only the degraded area itself, but the healthier corals further down the slope.

The degraded area cannot fully recover on its own. As substrate (the coral rubble) is unstable, natural coral recruits that settle and aim to grow are easily dislodged with water movement caused by waves, humans or marine species. Once dislodged, corals get smothered and scraped while tumbling down slope and ultimately dies turning into... more rubble!

As this rubble pile expands... it becomes heavy and slides down slope, smothering primary healthy reef below - which is exactly what you see in these videos.

Our method of reef restoration model addresses both of these issues, by stabilising coral substrate to regrow degraded areas, and by doing so, protecting healthier corals at the bottom of the reef slope.

For more about our Yaf Keru reef restoration program, please visit: https://theseapeople.org/yaf-keru-ree...