Akumal Bay has much news going on under the water that many of you may not be aware of. It has been over a year since we reported on Expedition Akumal, a coral restoration project run by Jenny Mallon, lead biologist and coordinator of the project that is sponsored by the Hotel Akumal Caribe and Akumal Dive Center without whom, this project would not exist. While the Hotel Akumal Caribe covers the costs of this ecological initiative, the additional support from Akumal Dive Center has offered much to the program, as they provide boats and equipment, and their staff is now working as volunteers on this project.
So let’s update you on the project.
The coral restoration project is giving hope to the future of the coral by propagating pieces of coral in their nurseries. They now have two nursery areas, as successful results came very quickly. The Staghorn coral which is being grown and pruned to create more growth is successfully replanted on the reef. There are now 300 fragments growing in the nurseries.
The corals only grow 20cm per year, and an adult colony can live for hundreds of years. The objective of this project is not to grow large quantities of coral quickly, but rather to investigate the best way to restore a damaged coral reef. When it comes to ‘success’ it is important to understand that it is not quantity but quality of the project that matters. The team is proceeding with integrity and care, conducting research as they go along, to ensure they are building towards an ecosystem restoration that is sustainable long term.
Having said all of this, it is very impressive to know they have successfully transplanted 250 of the nursery corals onto the reef and are continually monitoring them to quantify the most efficient transplant method for upscaling the project .
This is a remarkable project for Akumal Bay that this year received training from Oceanus A.C., an organization with several reef restoration sites in Mexico, and a goal of 10,000 corals onto the reefs by 2020. Expedition Akumal plans to transplant 500 corals this year.
Donations are welcomed and needed for this project as it continues to grow. At this time a person knowledgeable on WordPress to help with the website would be greatly appreciated, as well as any used dive equipment that is in good condition. The donation button on their website is always the easiest way to help.
Please keep up to date with their newsletter. You can subscribe from the website http://reef4akumal.org/ or follow their Facebook page –Expedition Akumal. This is a remarkable project for the future of Akumal Bay and their work is greatly appreciated
Watch some of the latest updates
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