|
Fiji’s tourism body has praised an initiative to promote environmental sustainability with BULA Reef - an ambitious coral nursery created to combat coral bleaching - expected to become a significant tourist attraction for the island nation
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 11 Jun 2024
BULA Reef is supporting the growth of heat-adapted ‘super corals’ Credit: Tourism Fiji
Fiji’s tourism body has praised an initiative to promote environmental sustainability with BULA Reef - an ambitious coral nursery created to combat coral bleaching - expected to become a significant tourist attraction for the island nation.
With tourism contributing around 40 percent of Fiji’s GDP, its reefs and marine life are a vital asset and draw for guests from around the world.
Located in Fiji’s Malolo District on the Plantation Island Resort, BULA Reef (BULA is a Fijian greeting which also means ‘life’) is the largest rescue reef of its kind in history.
A conservation project and a draw for visitors, the natural attraction features more than a thousand heat-adapted “super corals”, taken from areas of extreme heat stress where corals were in danger of dying due to an approaching marine heat wave.
The reef is part of the UN and Unesco-endorsed and scientifically backed Reefs of Hope coral restoration programme, which is the first coral-focused climate change adaptation programme ever to be endorsed at an international level.
According to the Ocean Decade Network, the super corals are an important step in preservation efforts in the face of climate change, with the goal now to provide best-practice standards to help others involved with coral restoration improve their own efforts. As the corals grow, they will be trimmed to create restoration patches on the Great Sea Reef, which has suffered from repeated marine heat waves and coral bleaching over the years.
Unlike other reef projects, BULA will “not become a free for all”, though it is expected to be a popular attraction with public snorkelling to be carefully controlled and guided to protect the baby corals.
“It’s stunning, it’s incredible, and you want to know more about it,” said Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill,” speaking to FBC. “The great thing is that tourists going forward are going to want to know more about it and get involved and help keep our reefs going.”
As well as being a natural landmark, the word “BULA” is displayed underwater in a 16x45m format, with the giant words, which can be seen from the air, constructed from elevated metal frame platforms. These platforms play host to the heat-resistant corals.
“Coral reef restoration can become a useful tool if well integrated into a community-based management framework to support tourism,” said Dr Bowden-Kerby, founder of Reefs for Hope.
“The challenge now is to train key community members in as many communities as possible to begin propagating heat resistant corals within these areas, to reinforce their investment and ensure that the coral reefs survive into the future despite increasing ocean temperatures.”
Tourism
|
|
Supplier Showcase 2025: The biggest attractions projects landing worldwide this year
|
