What Happened
Canon EMEA, in collaboration with Coral Spawning International (CSI) and Nature Seychelles, has successfully conducted its first coral spawning event at a newly established on-land coral breeding lab on Praslin Island, Seychelles. This event marks a significant advancement in coral reef restoration efforts, particularly in response to climate change.
Why It Matters
The lab, part of Nature Seychelles’ Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility, has produced approximately 800,000 coral embryos from 14 colonies of the species Acropora tenuis cf. macrostoma. Initial results indicate the settlement of around 65,000 new corals, which could enhance genetic diversity and thermal resilience of the reef ecosystem.
What’s Next
Moving beyond traditional coral gardening techniques, this initiative aims to build a diverse genetic bank of resilient coral species. The advanced imaging equipment provided by Canon will facilitate ongoing observation and documentation of reproductive events, crucial for understanding coral growth and survival in changing environmental conditions.
