Restoring coral reefs isn’t a guessing game, it’s a process rooted in biology, patience, and purpose. On Gili Air, the team at Indo Coral Conservation runs a coral farming program that goes beyond the basics. It’s not just about planting coral, it’s about cultivating resilience beneath the waves.
🔍 What Is Coral Farming?
Coral farming involves growing coral fragments in a controlled environment before transplanting them to degraded reef sites. By nurturing these fragments in a dedicated nursery, we help them reach a healthy size and condition that maximizes their survival once reintroduced to the wild.
Think of it like a greenhouse for the sea, except instead of vegetables, we’re growing future homes for fish, invertebrates, and entire ecosystems.
🧪 Why Microfragmentation?
Indo Coral’s signature technique is microfragmentation, a method that accelerates coral growth by cutting colonies into tiny pieces. These fragments heal rapidly and begin to fuse together, forming robust clusters that mimic natural reef patterns.
Developed by scientists and tested in various restoration projects worldwide, microfragmentation allows us to restore coral at a faster pace than traditional methods. It’s especially effective for massive coral species, which typically grow slowly on their own.
⚙️ How Our Farm Works
Our coral farm includes mounted substrates: flat plates and racks designed to hold fragments securely while allowing water flow and nutrient exchange. Interns assist in fragmenting corals, monitoring growth, and maintaining the nursery’s cleanliness to prevent disease or algae buildup.
We also track fragment recovery and fusion rates using simple data sheets and underwater photography. Each coral is logged and observed over weeks and months, creating a living database of reef health and restoration success.
🌱 Choosing Coral for Farming
We source coral ethically, only taking cuttings from healthy donor colonies and always leaving the parent colony intact. We focus on species that are hardy, fast-growing, and already present in Gili Matra Marine National Park, such as:
- Acropora (branching corals with fast growth and reef-building potential)
- Pocillopora (compact, resilient coral with high survival rates)
- Montipora (plating coral that adds structure and shade to the reef)
By working with native species, we reduce ecological risk and ensure the farm supports reef biodiversity rather than altering it.
👥 Who Maintains the Coral Farm?
Our team includes marine biologists, marine biology interns and trained dive professionals. Maintenance includes cleaning substrates, monitoring fish activity, checking for disease, and re-fragmenting coral as needed.
🤝 From Farm to Reef
Once coral fragments reach a healthy size and show fusion, we carefully transplant them to designated reef sites identified through prior surveys. These “restoration zones” are areas damaged by storms, anchors, or heat stress, and have the right conditions for regrowth.
Transplants are mounted to underwater frames or directly on natural substrate. We revisit each site regularly to evaluate survival, fish return, and signs of natural spawning.
📣 Successes & Challenges
We’ve seen promising results and many transplant sites are teeming with life just months after installation. Some zones show signs of coral larvae settling naturally, suggesting the restoration is working as a spark for reef recovery.
But it’s not always smooth sailing. Algal blooms, fish predation, or warm water surges can set progress back. That’s why farming coral is a constant process, not just a one-off project.
🚀 Join the Effort
If you’re passionate about reef recovery, there are plenty of ways to join:
- Volunteer on the farm for a few days or weeks.
- Take our Coral Restoration Course and learn the full method.
- Donate to help fund tools, nursery expansion, and transplant missions.
Every coral counts and every set of hands moves the mission forward.