Survival and growth rate of coral micro-fragments for coral reef restoration in Chonburi Province, the Upper Gulf of Thailand
Keywords:
Micro-fragmentation, Coral restoration, Growth, Survival, Gulf of ThailandAbstract
Coral reefs provide very important ecosystem services, especially nursery grounds for economically important species, tourism sites and coastal defense. Coral micro-fragmentation is a new technology that allows coral fragments to have a high growth rate. This study aims to compare the survival and growth rates of coral micro-fragments among four species, i.e, Porites lutea, Favites abdita, Galaxea fascicularis and Leptastrea purpurea in a coral nursery plot at Ko Khang Khao, Chonburi Province, the Upper Gulf of Thailand. The results showed that all micro-fragment with initial sizes between 1 and 3 cm had survival rates exceeding 90%. The mean survival rate of F. abdita was the highest (97.29%), followed by L. purpurea (96.89%), G. fascicularis (96.14%), and P. lutea (94.60%). The highest growth rate was observed in the coral micro-fragments with an initial size of 1 cm, which were then followed by 2 and 3 cm (One-way ANOVA, p < 0.05). This study highlights the importance of active coral reef restoration using micro-fragmentation technique as a newly developed technology to elevate the efficiency and effectiveness of coral restoration projects as well as enhancing community based eco-tourism and carbon neutral tourism or net zero tourism.
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