REEF RESTORATION TECHNIQUES - KOH TAO BIOROCK

In September 2008 Eco Koh Tao joined forces with Save Koh Tao and a number of other dive schools to construct and deploy Koh Tao’s second Biorock ™ dive site. Named Hin Fai (Electric Rock) the site was constructed on land over the course of a week and transported and lowered to its site late in September 2008. IT was left to settle during the monsoon months of October through to December of that year.

Throughout 2009 volunteers, including many from Eco Koh Tao have been working at the Biorock site to transplant dying and broken coral fragments onto the structures for rehabilitation, collecting growth rates of the corals on the Biorock and assessing the percentage cover of the corals on the structure.

Volunteers collecting growth & coverage data on the Koh Tao Biorock.	One of our volunteers. Advanced Open Water Diver Jacqui Cook gives the 'Ok' sign after successfully transplanting a 'massive' hard coral
An important part of our environmental program is to help raise awareness of our eco-activities and introduce people to some of the many projects underway on Koh Tao. During our many trips to the Hin Fai site we have given people a through introduction to the site, many of whom are visiting the site for the first time. Those with adequate training help us collect growth data and transplant corals to the site. Graphical data for hard coral growth indicates that the percentage of living coral cover on the ‘HinFai Dome’ is currently around 3%, but it is increasing at an exponential rate. At the current rate the dome should be about 50% covered by the end of 2010!
Some of our volunteer crew after a successful research trip to Hin Fai, Koh Tao's Biorock.	One of the numbered colonies regularly monitored at the Hin Fai site.

Throughout 2010 we will continue the good work already started transplanting corals, collecting growth data and introducing many more individuals to this exciting new reef restoration technique.

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