Coral research may hold key to climate change adaptation

Coral research may hold key to climate change adaptation

A ten-year coral research programme in the Seychelles has 

revealed unexpected tolerance in corals growing in lagoons and mangroves to extreme events, such as this year’s “Godzilla” El Niño. 

SCIENTISTS MEASURE CORAL IN THE SEYCHELLES. CREDIT CLAUDIA KOHMANN

A ten-year coral research programme in the Seychelles has revealed unexpected tolerance in corals growing in lagoons and mangroves to extreme events, such as this year’s “Godzilla” El Niño. Scientists on the ’Coral and Coastal Ecology of the Seychelles’ partnership project believe this research could have significant implications for direct active conservation management to help build the resilience of coral reefs both in the Seychelles and around the world.

The research reveals that corals in these environments, as found in the Seychelles, have adapted to naturally higher temperatures and more acidic conditions. They therefore are an ideal natural laboratory for studying future conditions under climate change, and the biological traits that install resilience to extreme events in corals.

The research programme is a partnership between the Earthwatch Institute (Europe) and an international collaboration led by the University of Essex including the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Western Australia, the Seychelles National Park Authority, and the Mitsubishi Corporation.

Data gathered on the Island of Curieuse has tracked the recovery of the coral reefs from an extreme El Niño in 1998, that killed 70-95% of corals in the region, and the impacts of a second extreme El Niño event this year, which bleached 78% of corals. Understanding why some, albeit the minority, were not bleached, may allow for selective breeding to increase the proportion of corals that are tolerant to extreme events.

Scientists on the project have discovered that corals which thrive in these environments have great genetic value to reseed the more vulnerable and sensitive reefs, which were heavily impacted by this year’s bleaching event.

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