Restoration

Underwater scene with small yellow and white fish swimming near coral and a sea fan.

Why restoration?

As marine ecosystems become increasingly degraded around the world, sometimes conserving what is left is not enough. Restoration involves intentionally restoring species, habitats, or functions that have been lost (active restoration), as well as working to reduce environmental stressors (passive restoration).

In the Caribbean, we’ve lost more than half of our living coral reefs. Without these ecosystems intact, we are losing critical ecosystem services such as coastal protection, food provision, and tourism opportunities. AnuBlue has undertaken an ambitious coral restoration programme to help bring Antigua’s reefs back to life.

Ongoing intense heat driven by anthropogenic climate change has led to widespread coral bleaching in the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda. Read our various communications on these significant events below.

Rebuilding resilient coral populations on Antigua’s reef

Bleaching Bulletin (Oct 2023)

Bleaching Bulletin (Jun 2024)

Bleaching Bulletin (Dec 2023)

Map of a coastal island with four nursery locations labeled: Jumby Bay Nursery at the northern part, Green Island Nursery on the eastern side, York Island Nursery on the southeastern tip, and Cades Reef Nursery on the southwestern end.

Our coral nurseries

AnuBlue operates two coral nurseries adjacent to Green Island and York Island on the east coast of Antigua, as well as nurseries at Cades Reef and Jumby bay. We intentionally collect corals that demonstrate a higher resistance to stressors such as poor water quality, thermal stress and disease epidemics. Our nurseries house 14 species of reef-building corals, many of which are critically endangered. These corals are cultivated using a combination of ropes, PVC trees, and tables. Our Ten Pound Bay nursery at Green Island also includes a small on-land visitor station and shallow coral nursery structures ideal for educational snorkel trips for all ages!

How to restore a coral reef

Collect

fragments from diverse and resilient coral colonies that have endured stressors

A scuba diver underwater with a black wetsuit, mask, and yellow oxygen tank, surrounded by floating food pieces attached to fishing lines.

Grow

coral fragments in a protected nursery area where they can be propagated and monitored

Two people underwater collecting coral fragments from a white coral structure, with brownish-yellow coral branches around them.

Plant

coral fragments onto degraded reefs once they have reached a sufficient size in the nursery

A scuba diver uses a camera underwater near coral reefs.

Monitor

outplanted fragments and the surrounding coral reef ecosystem over time

Rebuilding resilient reef ecosystems

AnuBlue is working to restore degraded reef areas around Antigua, where coral skeletons stand where living corals once thrived, including Green Island, and York Island, and Cades Reef. As our nurseries grow, we will be expanding the number of restoration sites and corals outplanted, as well as to manage human impacts along Antigua’s coastlines.

Underwater scene featuring a small yellow fish swimming near a branching coral and a metal grid.

Aerial view of four people on a boat, preparing for snorkeling or diving, with water and coral beneath.

Underwater view of a coral reef with brown coral formations and small fish swimming around.

Stan Waterman Memorial

AnuBlue is proud to honor Stan Waterman with a special memorial at our Green Island restoration site. Inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Stan was one of the world’s most influential and renowned scuba divers as a pioneering photographer, author and Emmy-winning underwater film producer who worked with AnuBlue Trustee Martha Watkins Gilkes for over 30 years. He was also a dedicated shark conservationist, serving 17 years as President of the Shark Research Institute. Honoring Stan’s wish to rest in Antigua, his ashes were mixed with a medium to plant coral fragments from AnuBlue’s nursery onto the reef bed during a ceremony attended by his family and close diving companions. This memorial will contribute to EMC’s coral restoration, allowing him to rest peacefully in the sea he cherished.

Footage by Roddy Grimes-Graeme at Acqua Films

Innovation

Group of five people smiling and posing with a shell sampler at a marine conservation or research facility.

Exploring new techniques for restoring ecosystems helps a growing community of practitioners work more effectively and efficiently. We are constantly working to improve coral restoration methods, including testing novel structure designs and integrating recycled and locally sourced materials, such as reclaimed tiles and marine debris, into our restoration practices.

We utilise microfragmentation - or the splitting of coral colonies into small (dime-sized) fragments - to propagate and stimulate growth in boulder coral species such as brain and star corals. We have adapted this propagation technique from Dr. David Vaughan of the Plant a Million Corals Foundation and are rearing micro fragments in-situ with guidance from Ken Nedimyer of Reef Renewal.

What’s next?

Close-up of small white cups with a brown worm-like creature on top, arranged on a metal grid.

Increasing the number of coral species and genetic variants in our program

Mangroves along the water's edge in a coastal area during daytime with clear blue sky.

Restoring critical mangrove and seagrass ecosystems

Hands holding a large piece of honeycomb over a cutting tool on a worktable.

Experimenting with in-situ micro fragmentation techniques

Person holding a large, wet sea sponge near the water.

Increasing the diversity of stress resistant corals, while preserving genetic diversity in critically endangered species

A person on a boat catching a large fish, with the photo taken from beneath the water showing the fish and the boat above.

Understand the abundance and migration patterns of crucial megafauna, including keystone shark species vital to healthy reefs

A person scuba diving underwater near coral reefs, waving at the camera.

Monitoring the health of coral reefs around Antigua and Barbuda

Establishment of an on-land lab to preserve genetic diversity in the face of changing conditions, including stress testing our strongest coral genotypes

Determining spawning windows for keystone coral species that currently face an elevated risk of extinction