Villa Nautica, in cooperation with diveOceanus and the The Hub 10 – Finland International School, has announced the first-of-its-kind coral restoration and citizen science programme, engaging with the resort’s surrounding reef and providing students with an opportunity to participate in the process of restoring the local marine ecosystem.
The students were introduced to the underwater world and its science by their teachers before arriving at Villa Nautica to take part in the citizen science programme. Upon entering the water, the students were given a lecture on how to count and determine different coral species. Subsequently, they joined the diveOceanus team and got involved in the restoration process, contributing by measuring, counting, and recording the data of the found coral fragments and preparing five particular coral restoration frames.
However, the unique feature of this particular program consisted in its usage of the latest Coral Tracker technology, allowing its participants to monitor individual coral fragments, to which the students will have constant access.
Six months later, the students will return to Villa Nautica to dive once again and check their results, comparing the data they obtained earlier to collect the information on how much coral has grown, survived, and attracted different species of wildlife.
The main idea behind this restoration program consisted in its intended status as a long-term citizen science project, continuing its work after the students graduate from their studies. Therefore, every year, new students will be welcomed to join the program and continue contributing to the scientific work of the restoration program by collecting the required data.
Moreover, apart from providing participants with a meaningful and engaging experience, this project will offer them the much-needed scientific background, giving the students vital research experience and promoting their environmental awareness and engagement in environmental sustainability.
As of now, Villa Nautica’s coral restoration project has been running since 2024, with the resort becoming one of the primary partners of the diveOceanus coral restoration project. So far, there has been a significant amount of growth and development both in terms of the number of coral restoration frames and the number of frames built by the resort itself. With its 65 frames, the Villa Nautica coral site is now one of the most extensive, with over 130 frames in total among the Villa Resorts network:
The diveOceanus director of operations, Mohamed Seeneen, noted that he and his team have taken the best possible care of the fragments that have survived the recent heatwaves and periods of coral bleaching, taking great effort to ensure the survival of as many coral species as possible. Mohamed Seeneen comments that so far, the coral restoration project has proven to be very effective, with numerous colonies of various species being able to thrive.
According to the specialist, Harlequin Filefish have been returning to the restored reef, seeking shelter and food, meaning that the local ecosystem has already begun to rebuild itself and is on its way towards full restoration.
