Coral Gets Reef-urbished

What It’s Like to Plant Coral on the Great Barrier Reef

By Ruth Puddefoot

A world icon, Australia’s most treasured natural asset, and a globally recognised wonder, the Great Barrier Reef is renowned for its breathtaking beauty, rich marine life and critical ecological value. However, now that headlines about its health have quietened, what’s really happening beneath the surface?

For years, as a journalist passionate about the environment and marine conservation, it has been my dream to help protect this natural wonder and report on what is really happening. While headlines often bombard us with conflicting opinions about the Reef’s health, I wanted to find out for myself, what is it actually like to be part of a coral restoration project?

On Sunday I volunteered with Coral Nurture Program, as part of their ongoing coral restoration project. The Coral Nurture Program, launched in 2018, is a collaborative effort between tourism operators and scientists to strengthen the Great Barrier Reef’s resilience to environmental change. Rather than aiming to “save the Reef,” the program focuses on supporting high-value reef sites by combining scientific innovation with community-based coral planting. It enhances both ecological health and local stewardship, especially at economically significant locations.

While large-scale reef restoration remains complex and costly, this program aims to "buy time" by maintaining coral cover where it's most needed. Insights gained contribute to broader reef management and future site-specific intervention strategies.

As part of this initiative, I joined an amazing team planting corals to revive reef areas where coral cover had declined. At the same time, we worked hard to protect and nurture vibrant reef sites that are still flourishing.

I was thrilled to be invited by Brent Chatterton, Owner and CEO of Kiana, along with my close friend Augusto Cazón—better known to me as ‘Gus,' who is the dive manager aboard Kiana, one of the select tourism operators nurturing a coral nursery through the Coral Nurture Program. This initiative is funded by the University of Technology Sydney and coordinated by Reef Catchments. We were also joined by fellow diver and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ranger, Dani Lo Surdo.

For this section of the project we headed to Blue Pearl Bay, a site that has seen a decline in hard coral cover. While the full extent and causes of this decline remain unclear, some reports have suggested a significant reduction, while other research points to recent fluctuations and signs of recovery. The reef has been affected by events such as Cyclone Ului, Cyclone Debbie, and coral bleaching.

Once we arrived at the reef, Gus walked us through the dive plan and explained the intricate process ahead. During the first dive, we carefully removed corals from the nursery and their registered clips, classifying each one by species and photographing them for detailed reporting to the research team. We also cleaned the nursery frames, removing algae that competes with coral for nutrients and space, as well as Drupella which is a coral-eating sea snail.

The second dive took us to a new site in Blue Pearl Bay, where, wearing protective gloves, we planted the corals in their new homes: a damaged section of reef we hope will regenerate and once again thrive with marine life.

It was incredibly encouraging to witness the growth and dedication driving this program’s efforts to preserve such a remarkable natural wonder. A personal highlight for me was watching the fish curiously inspect the newly planted corals as we worked. It was a deeply fulfilling experience that I’ll carry with me for a long time.

The project wrapped up on Monday, 16 June, and throughout the initiative, more than 2,500 new corals were planted at Blue Pearl Bay.

Lets keep the reef GREAT!

How you can help protect the reef:

1. Be a sustainable tourist when visiting the reef: Do not step on/touch the reef and be careful when snorkelling not to hit the reef
2. Reduce your platic use
3. Buy responsibly sourced seafood
4. Educate yourself and others
5. Wear reef safe suncream

https://www.coralnurtureprogram.org/

Coral nursery at Blue Pearl Bay
Coral nursery at Blue Pearl Bay
Ruth Puddefoot planting a coral in its new home
A fish being inquisitive while watching us work
Names of Corals at Blue Pearl Bay
Augusto Cazón and Ruth Puddefoot about to start planting corals
Ruth Puddefoot infront of Coral Nurture Program Sign
Augusto Cazón and Ruth Puddefoot commencing the dive.
Dani Lo Surdo about to begin first dive.
Augusto Cazón and Ruth Puddefoot after finishing the planting process.

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