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ADOPT A CORAL TABLE

Our state-of-the-art MAT Project offers JOALI guests the chance to adopt their very own coral table. Measuring 1.2 x 1.2 metres, each table can hold up to 113 coral fragments.

 

The nursery uses Mineral Accretion Technology (MAT) to enhance the growth of corals. A low-voltage current flows through the metallic tables, promoting the accumulation of calcium carbonate – the mineral that forms the skeletal structure of corals. In this way, the innovative technology helps our coral fragments grow faster. The coral will then be outplanted onto our house reef.

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HOW IT WORKS

  • Adopt a Coral Table
  • Give it a name
  • Receive monthly images
  • Receive an image of the outplanted coral colony at the end of the year
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How we do it

Our team will plant these on your behalf and take good care of them until they reach maturity – a process that takes approximately a year. The coral will then be outplanted onto our house reef.

CLEAN THE TABLE

We start by cleaning the table and removing accumulated calcium carbonate. This will allow the newly planted coral fragments to be directly in contact with the metallic structure.

Prepare Coral Fragments

Next, we prepare the coral fragments. Since we are using rescued colonies, we must break them into smaller fragments first, then attach each fragment using a bending wire.

Attach the fragment to the table

Next, we carefully attach each fragment to the metallic structure. The top part of the table is mesh-like: here, we put one fragment in each of the 81 junctions. We then hang up to 113 smaller fragments along the side of the table.

JOALI Coral Adoption A Full Table

Wait for a year

Last but not least, we keep a close eye on the table for approximately a year. At the end of this period, the coral colonies should reach an adequate size to be outplanted onto our house reef.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Often described as “the rainforests of the ocean”, coral reefs are vital ecosystems for our planet. They hold up to one-fourth of global marine life, protect our coastlines, and provide us with crucial resources. Coral reefs are under threat from global warming and the related rise in sea water temperatures, ocean acidification and pollution. In order to preserve these vibrant ecosystems, we need to act now. In the past decade, the Maldives has witnessed a major bleaching event most recently in 2016. Elevated sea water temperatures cause corals to become stressed and expel the tiny algae that live inside of them. This is called “bleaching” because the coral loses its beautiful colour and turns white.