World’s First Cryo-Born Baby Corals Successfully Settled on the Great Barrier Reef

GS3- ENVIRONMENT

This groundbreaking achievement in coral conservation and restoration represents a significant step toward mitigating the impacts of climate change on coral ecosystems. Australian researchers have pioneered this technique to restore damaged reefs.

About Cryo-Born Corals

Cryo-Born Corals: Created using cryopreservation techniques, which involve freezing coral cells and tissues at ultra-low temperatures to preserve them for future use.

Cryopreservation Process

• Challenges: Coral cells contain water, which can form harmful ice crystals when frozen.
• Solution: Cryoprotectants are used to remove water from cells and protect cell structures during freezing and thawing.

Significance of the Breakthrough

1. Climate Change Resilience:
   • Millions of heat-tolerant corals will be introduced annually to reefs to combat warming ocean temperatures.
2. Selective Breeding Advantages:
   • Overcomes the limitations of natural coral spawning, which occurs only once a year.
   • Enables selective breeding and repeated use of colonies for reproduction.

About Coral Reefs

• Definition: Corals are invertebrates from the class Anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria. They form reefs through colonies of polyps that secrete limestone skeletons.
• Symbiosis: Depend on zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) for nutrients through photosynthesis.
• Distribution: Found in shallow, sunlit waters (30°N to 30°S latitude) with temperatures of 16–32°C.
• Depth: Typically grow at depths less than 50 meters where light is sufficient.

Threats to Coral Reefs

1. Climate Change:
   • Ocean warming leads to coral bleaching.
   • Ocean acidification weakens coral skeletons.
2. Pollution:
   • Runoff containing chemicals and sediments smothers corals.
3. Overfishing:
   • Disrupts reef ecosystems by removing key species.
4. Destructive Practices:
   • Practices like blast fishing and coral mining destroy reef habitats.
5. Diseases:
   • Coral diseases are becoming more prevalent due to stress from warming oceans.

Global Initiatives for Coral Conservation

• Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI): Focuses on marine biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia.
• International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI): Promotes coral reef protection globally.
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14): Emphasizes conserving marine ecosystems.

India’s Efforts to Conserve Coral Reefs

1. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs):
   • Examples: Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
2. Coral Rehabilitation Projects:
   • Initiatives like coral transplantation and artificial reef deployment.
3. Legislative Measures:
   • Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to protect coastal ecosystems.
4. Mangrove and Coral Reef Conservation:
   • Schemes like Mangroves for the Future (MFF) address coastal and marine biodiversity.
5. Research and Monitoring:
   • Institutions like the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) actively study and monitor coral reefs.