Category Reef Repair

In a joint international NGO collaboration, Corales de Paz and Nature Seychelles hosted a training workshop on coral reef restoration at the Center for Ocean Restoration and Awareness Learning in Praslin Island, Republic of Seychelles, from 1st to 10th June 2019; equipping conservation leaders from the Western Indian Ocean region with the knowledge and tools required to successfully apply the various aspects of large-scale coral reef restoration, which encompasses sound project development and evaluation, building large-scale nurseries, and mass coral outplanting. Over the course of the ten-day workshop, the six participants representing five countries from the WIO - of which 2 were women and 4 were men – drew on the extensive experience of restoration experts: Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya, former Reef Rescuer´s Technical and Scientific Officer and Director of Corales de Paz, and Mr. Paul Anstey and Mrs. Chloe Shute, Technical Coordinators of Nature Seychelles´s Reef Rescuers project. The experts preferred a hands-on and interactive approach to learning; approach made possible by having the trainees previously enrolled in the Coral Reef Restoration Mentored Online Course imparted by the Reef Resilience Network. The experts utilized a number of case studies and simulation exercises to achieve the desired learning objectives. Some of the topics covered were the selection of nursery sites, building of large-scale rope nurseries, selection of restoration sites and outplanting corals with cement and the design of an effective reef restoration project, but the experts also dealt with a number of latest developments in the world of reef restoration, such as micro-fragmentation and eco-engineering approaches to accelerate natural reef recovery. The training had the immediate and obviously practical benefit of connecting conservation leaders in the WIO region and sparking potential collaborations for effective reef restoration efforts; at the same time, it offered an opportunity for trainees to consider the creation