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Larval seedboxes: A modular and effective tool for scaling coral reef restoration

Summary

Scientists developed a new tool called a larval seedbox to help restore damaged coral reefs. The device releases millions of young coral larvae onto degraded reef areas, allowing them to settle and grow across a much larger area than previous methods. In testing at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, the seedboxes successfully increased coral settlement by 24 times compared to natural levels, offering a practical solution for large-scale reef restoration.

Background

Coral reef degradation is constrained by low larval recruitment, limiting natural recovery at ecologically meaningful scales. Traditional coral larval restoration methods using net enclosures restrict impact to small areas (<75 m²). This study addresses the challenge of scaling larval restoration approaches for sessile invertebrates like corals.

Objective

To develop and test a modular, passive larval delivery system called the larval seedbox to overcome spatial constraints in coral larval restoration and enable unrestrained seeding across broader reef areas (>1 hectare).

Results

After 48 hours, 85% of tiles exhibited settlement with densities up to 1041 settlers per tile and mean densities 24 times greater than background levels. Enhanced settlement was directly quantified across ~470 m² with spatial modeling estimating >3000 m² of affected reef area. Settlement densities of 250-1250 settlers per m² align with thresholds shown to initiate coral recovery.

Conclusion

The larval seedbox system enables scalable coral larval seeding at spatial scales significantly larger than previous restrained approaches, representing a practical advance toward broad-scale reef restoration. The modular design allows passive dispersal during optimal current windows, overcoming key spatial and logistical constraints in coral restoration.
  • Published in:Ecological Applications,
  • Study Type:Field Experiment,
  • Source: 10.1002/eap.70140
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