科苏梅尔Coral Reef Restoration Program
上周，我很高兴参观GermánMéndez开展的Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration计划。在过去的40年中，科苏梅尔的一部分珊瑚礁的珊瑚报道下降了80％，当您听到Germán谈论礁石过去90年代初期的情况时，这真是令人心碎。
沿海发展和科苏梅尔作为受欢迎的邮轮的爆炸是导致这种下降的主要因素。特别是，珊瑚礁恢复的恢复已被巡航船反转到位的沉积物受到严重破坏。
Looking at the map above, Germán’s humble project seems like a drop in the bucket when it comes to coral conservation. However, the purpose of this project is to establish a buffer zone outside of the national marine park of Cozumel.
Germán邀请研究人员以及公共和私人机构在他的Cozumel示范中了解珊瑚礁保护。该地点是珊瑚恢复技术，研究和诺亚的弧度的训练场，以保存尿布珊瑚。
隔离农场 - 南
珊瑚修复计划是在科苏梅尔海洋世界码头的两侧设立的。在南部，Germán有一个混凝土平台，空间只有100个珊瑚碎片。该区域维护得很好，并充当隔离农场。在这里，新收获和移植的碎片被害虫清洗，并用藻类清洁刷子。
Once fragments begin to heal, they are taken from the farm and transplanted to five low lying rock clusters behind the platform. This is a labor-intensive process, and the project relies on volunteers and students taking his coral restoration course to maintain the farm and reef.
A dive at the coral farm is spent inspecting fragments, clearing open space, and maintaining the adjacent reef. Each rocky zone is mapped and the number of coral fragments planted at each rock is recorded. It’s a big job for slow-growing rewards, but for Germán, it’s the only thing he can do to mitigate damage and the loss of coral.
The quarantine table contains mostlyAgaricia tenuifolia珊瑚。瘦叶莴苣珊瑚具有较高的募集率，快速生长并建立了复杂的栖息地。而许多加勒比修复项目的重点是Acropora恢复栖息地的物种，杰兰（Germán）确定Agariciacorals as a more feasible option for his reef, and with good reason.
Marine biologists like Germán are important to the future of coral reef conservation. He remembers the days whentenuifoliacorals were thriving in this very same place. His approach too restoration is corals first, focusing on species that are already growing or have disappeared from this habitat, doing what he can to help the reef fight back against human development.
In the early days of the Cozumel Reef Restoration Program four year ago, Germán found a single branch ofAcropora cervicornis，它是礁石上种植的第一批碎片之一。您仍然可以找到这个原始的碎片，正在战斗以保持生命。
时间是水下最有价值的资源，单个空气坦克持续了大约70分钟的农场工作。通过将他的精力集中在杂草上tenuifoliaspecies, Germán is speeding up the reef-building process and regaining, structural reef habitat.
But the Cozumel Reef project doesn’t end there. The quarantine platform and rocky reefs in the south are nursery grounds for a larger project developing due north. We exit the water and head to the shore for a quick surface interval, and to switch tanks.
多叶礁平台 - 北
Despite being only a few hundreds meter apart, there is a stark difference between reefs. To the north the landscape is dominated by sponges and gorgonian corals, almost nonexistent on the farm site. Germán also pointed out to the north there is also a higher abundance of black spiny sea urchins, an important reef critter, that could be a coral gardeners best-kept secret.
Past the colorful sponge aquascapes, you will start to see dozens of coralline covered reef balls begging for an army of coral frags. Between those arefamous bustscast in bronze of Jacque Cousteau, Ramón Bravo, and Sylvia Earl, and a fully functioningweb cam扫描令人毛骨悚然的遗体似乎是几次废弃的礁石修复尝试。
电气化生命的海雕塑被称为佐伊,can be生活流to your desktop and the creator is actively清洁和添加orphaned coral fragments to the frame. The underwater camera is fun to watch especially while diving.
And then you have Germán. Piece by piece, day by day he gets in the water to tend his coral garden. Just last week Germán was given permission in partnership with the University of Quintana Roo to use 65000 sq meter of concrete structures located amongst the reef balls to transplant his coral fragments.
这些是我见过的一些设计最佳的水下平台。结构设计模仿加勒比国王珊瑚国王的宽阔分支Acroporapalmata,像棕榈一样，它们非常坚固，坚固，可以承受海浪和暴风雨。
平台让我想起STAX, with individual modular leaves above water, that can be stacked together underwater creating unique vertical platforms.
在Germán's，为期两天的礁石修复课程学生首先访问农场，了解珊瑚护理以及科苏梅尔珊瑚礁的历史。然后，他们参观了绿叶结构的清洁，并准备它们以移植珊瑚碎片。
结构已经显示出成功的迹象。我发现几个珊瑚在侧面和平台上定居。这些珊瑚似乎已经招募了框架而没有种植。有一天，这些可能充满生命。
I would love to see more aquarium fragmentation technique being applied to these structures, especially the reef balls. Some of the Porites coral and other boulder corals seem to be doing just fine in this habitat, the perfect frag candidates.
And while these corals don’t add the same structural complexity of branching corals, one softball sized colony could be fragged into a dozen or more pieces used to repopulate an entire frame. What seems like cutting-edge science to ocean reef restoration projects is replicated hundreds of times each day in the aquarium hobby. All you really need is adiamond band sawand somesuperglue!
了解哪种物种在栖息地中生长最佳，然后竭尽所能将珊瑚重新安置到合适的栖息地作品中。即使在小规模上，这些努力也会在减轻珊瑚损失方面有所作为。
这样虽然artisinal项目开启t not do much to safeguard reefs on a global scale, their impact reaches far beyond the water, inspiring businesses, scuba divers, and future scientist to do something, and protect coral reefs.
Cozumel Reef Restoration计划目前正在与大学合作伙伴合作，在水族馆环境中培养珊瑚幼虫和碎片。这包括Secore方法for collecting and raising Elkhorn coral spawn.
If you would like to support the Cozumel Reef Restoration Program they are currently running a gofund mecampaign.
