Stabilisation by natural bonding
Functional objective:
Stabilisation to facilitate reef recovery
Delivery method:
Assisted natural bonding
Deployment scale:
Micro (a few metres) to medium (20 or more reefs)
Subprogram:
When reefs are damaged (for example by storms, ship groundings or coral bleaching) the dead or degraded coral can become loose and unconsolidated rubble, making it difficult for coral to regrow.
This potential intervention would help increase the rate of reef recovery by using natural bonding agents from organisms such as molluscs (including crustose coralline algae or biological adhesives) to help consolidate the reef surface.
Bonding agents/organisms would be produced/cultured in land-based facilities and deployed from barges and small vessels.
