Webinar: Reef Revival in the Indian Ocean: Science, Hope, and Action Beneath the Waves

Reviving Coral Reefs: Science, Communities, and Action in the Indian Ocean

Dr Luca Saponari

Senior Science & Technical Field Officer, Nature Seychelles

Representing the renowned Reef Rescuers initiative in Seychelles, Dr Luca Saponari shares over a decade of applied science, innovation and capacity building emerging from work centred around Cousin Island.

Luca explains how the project has gone beyond traditional in situ restoration. Not only are they protecting and growing corals in the ocean, but they have also established the Assisted Recovery of Corals Facility - Africa’s first land-based coral aquaculture facility dedicated to climate adaptation. This pioneering centre functions much like a genetic ark: safeguarding coral species that have become locally extinct in the wild due to bleaching, while maintaining and propagating resilient strains on land for future restoration.

He concludes with a powerful reminder that reef revival is not solely the responsibility of scientists and practitioners. Every citizen can contribute through informed choices: from sustainable seafood consumption to reducing carbon footprints and supporting conservation initiatives.

Anrifiddine Ousseni

Comores National Parks Agency

From the Comoros, Anrifiddine Ousseni presents insights from the pilot coral restoration initiative implemented in Mitsamiouli-Ndroudé National Park. The project focuses on installing coral nurseries designed to develop functional coral gardens that enhance habitat complexity and strengthen coastal resilience.

For practitioners considering establishing a coral nursery, Anrifiddine provides valuable practical guidance. He walks viewers through methodology, maintenance protocols, monitoring frameworks, and the real-world challenges encountered during implementation. His experience offers both inspiration and grounded lessons for scaling coral restoration as an effective nature-based solution in small island contexts.

Prof. Gildas Todinanahary

Associate Professor, University of Toliara, Madagascar

A marine biologist and Director of Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines at the University of Toliara, Prof. Gildas Todinanahary brings a grounded and thought-provoking perspective from Madagascar in his talk entitled “Community-based innovations and transdisciplinary efforts in coral reef restoration”. While acknowledging the alarming global decline of coral reefs, he emphasises that solutions do exist: particularly when multiple approaches are combined.

He outlines a toolbox of interventions: marine protected areas, temporary fishing closures, artificial reefs, coral outplanting, coral seeding, and community seeding. Used together, these strategies can strengthen reef ecosystems and support long-term recovery.

Crucially, Prof. Gildas highlights that restoring coral reefs in Madagascar is inseparable from restoring fish populations. For many coastal communities, fish remain a primary source of protein obtained through traditional fishing practices. Protecting reefs therefore directly safeguards food security.

He also challenges us to think critically. Do artificial reefs placed near natural reefs genuinely enhance biodiversity, or do they unintentionally increase fishing pressure by aggregating fish and making them easier to catch? His reflections remind us that effective ecosystem-based adaptation must carefully balance ecological goals with social realities.

At the heart of his message is integration: combining scientific research, traditional ecological knowledge, continuous dialogue with communities, and strong partnerships between NGOs, coastal residents, private actors and public institutions. Sustainable reef management, he argues, depends on collaboration as much as conservation science.

Vasisht Seetapah

Head of Science, Eco-Sud

From Mauritius, Vasisht Seetapah explores coral restoration within the context of a densely populated Small Island Developing State in his talk entitled “Restoring for resilience: Coral restoration in Mauritius amid environmental and social realities”. In such settings, he explains, community participation is not optional – it is essential for the success and sustainability of nature-based solutions.

He shares insights from a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported coral restoration project in the Grand Port lagoon, which aims at restoring1.6 hectares of degraded reef while directly engaging 43 local beneficiaries, the majority of whom were women. The initiative highlights how ecological restoration can simultaneously strengthen community livelihoods and stewardship of marine ecosystems.

Like the other speakers, Vasisht reflects on the growing challenge of climate shocks. Marine heatwaves and cyclones have caused significant setbacks to restoration efforts, underlining the urgency of scaling ecosystem-based adaptation while designing restoration projects that are more resilient to climate extremes.

He concludes with a compelling call for climate justice and restoration equity. Many of the world’s most vulnerable communities live in coastal areas, yet they contribute least to global greenhouse gas emissions. Ensuring that reef restoration supports those most at risk is not just good conservation, it is a matter of fairness.

Science Gives Us the Tools.
Action Gives Us the Future.

Across the Indian Ocean, coral reefs face rising sea temperatures, bleaching events and increasing pressure from human activity. Yet this webinar delivers a powerful message of hope: reefs can recover if we invest in nature.

Restoring coral ecosystems protects marine biodiversity while strengthening coastal defences, supporting food security, and building climate resilience for island communities.

Reef revival is more than restoration. It is a commitment to scaling nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation, ensuring healthy ecosystems continue to protect and sustain us for generations to come.