A new community-led initiative is working to restore coral reefs along the Kona coast of Hawaiʻi Island.
The project, called Kanu Koʻa, is supported by The Nature Conservancy and the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee.
Divers and community members from the area worked together this week to collect coral pieces that had broken off the reef in Kahuwai Bay during recent high swells.
Scuba divers then used epoxy to reattach the fragments to the reef.
This is the first of several community-led projects to determine how best to restore coral reefs around Hawaiʻi Island.
"Restoration is an important tool in the fight against reef decline, but its adoption in Hawai‘i and the Pacific is relatively novel," said Joe Pollock, TNC senior coral reef resilience scientist.
"By anchoring this project in science and culture while prioritizing learning and knowledge sharing, we can enhance local reef benefits while disseminating the insights needed to successfully scale up reef restoration throughout Hawai'i and beyond."
All work with coral is being conducted under a Special Activities Permit with the State Division of Aquatic Resources.
