Workshop on “Coral Species Identification and Reef Restoration” held in Trincomalee
A workshop on “Coral Species Identification and Reef Restoration” intending to broaden the scope of Navy divers, was successfully held at the Command Diving & Salvage Unit (East) in Naval Dockyard Trincomalee and Sandy Bay on 13th and 14th September 2022.
The workshop which covered practical and theoretical aspects was conducted by prominent marine biologists and coral restoration experts. The event was organized by the Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC with the contribution of Ocean Resource Conservation Association (ORCA) and Blue Resource Trust (BRT).
Practical sessions of the workshop were conducted on underwater nursery establishment, reef restoration and reef aftercare procedures at Sandy Bay area.
The coral ecosystem makes a huge contribution to preserving the biodiversity of the marine environment. Sri Lanka Navy has commenced a Coral Conservation Project various other initiatives to reduce the damage to this precious coral ecosystem due to natural causes and human activities. Under that, the Navy is expected to restore and conserve the coral ecosystem by creating artificial concrete reefs and growing corals on them, providing breeding sites for fish.
The corals that were placed on the artificial concrete reefs previously, under the Navy Coral Conservation Project are currently growing successfully. In the future, opportunities will be open for local and foreign divers to engage in recreational diving at those sites and that will also be a major boost for the promotion of tourism sector in due course.
Ten (10) officers and forty (40) sailors attached to the Sri Lanka Navy’s Diving Unit participated in the workshop, picking the brain of experts about identification and restoration procedures of coral species.
