Coral Larvae Rearing Project

The Ecomares Foundation, in partnership with National Parks (PNNCRSB), the University of Magdalena, CEINER, Diving Planet, and SECORE International, is developing a research project titled "Coral Larvae Rearing in the Los Corales del Rosario and San Bernardo National Natural Park" (2021-2026). The main objective of the project is to increase the number of coral recruits from the main three-dimensional hermatypic species by implementing techniques that allow scaling up the magnitude of in situ larvae rearing and coral recruits on the reef. The project has successfully described the early embryonic development stages of Orbicella annularis, Orbicella faveolata, and Diploria labyrinthiformis, as well as the timing of gamete release for these species. A fertilization success rate of over 70% has been achieved, along with the identification of calcareous coralline algae that stimulate and inhibit larval settlement. Furthermore, the project has scaled up the production of embryos for the aforementioned species, implemented new technologies applied to reef restoration, and engaged various entities working on reef restoration projects nationwide.