Gujarat Coral Reef Translocation Project Controversy Explained

The project to relocate 16,000 corals from a pipeline site to a safer location in the Marine National Park (MNP) in Jamnagar district has been hailed as a success by the Gujarat Forest Department and the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), but also raised questions about the impact of such projects on the fragile marine ecosystem.

Coral reef translocation project

The project, which started in July 2021 and lasted for one and a half years, is the largest and most successful coral translocation in Indian history, according to the forest department. The IOC necessitated the project by constructing a new pipeline to replace its 40-year-old worn-out pipeline that passed through a coral reef complex in the MNP.

The MNP, which was established in 1982, is India’s first marine national park and one of the richest marine biodiversity hotspots in the world. It covers an area of 163 square kilometers and includes 42 islands, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, mudflats, and salt marshes. The MNP is home to more than 600 species of marine animals, including dolphins, turtles, dugongs, sharks, rays, and crabs.

Corals: Marine animals with colonies

Corals are marine animals that belong to the same group as jellyfish and anemones. They live in colonies of individual units called polyps, which have a symbiotic relationship with algae that provide them with food and colour. Corals can be soft or hard, depending on whether they produce a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate or not. Hard corals form reefs, which are complex structures that host a variety of marine life.

People often call coral reefs the 'rainforests of the sea' because they harbour at least 25 percent of the marine species, and they provide many benefits to humans, such as food, tourism, and coastal protection. However, coral reefs are also sensitive to changes in the environment, such as temperature, acidity, and salinity.

Praveen Kumar, the manager and head of the marine project for coral transplantation at Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Mithapur, Gujarat, states that the shift of pH at the local level affects coral reefs due to their carbon cycle. “This also makes them vulnerable to bleaching events, which occur when corals expel their algae due to stress, and lose their colour and food source,” he said.

The project, which received permission from the National Wildlife Board, involved the forest department and experts from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), who carefully moved the corals to a suitable site, about five kilometers from Narara, without harming them.

“We call this a successful transplant because more than 90% of the corals have survived and are growing well. This is a five-year project, and we will monitor the corals for the next three and a half years for any signs of disease or algae growth. We will also conduct periodic surveys to assess the health and diversity of the corals,” R Senthil Kumaran, chief conservator of forest, MNP, said.

Controversy 

The IOC, which funded the project, said that the new pipeline was necessary to ensure the supply of petroleum products to the region. The company said that they designed the pipeline to minimise the environmental impact and that they followed all the norms and guidelines for the project.

However, the project has also sparked a debate over the trade-off between conservation and development, and the effectiveness and ethics of coral translocation as a mitigation measure. Some environmentalists and activists have questioned the need for the pipeline and the potential damage it could cause to the marine ecosystem. They have also argued that coral translocation is not a sustainable solution and that it could disrupt the natural balance and diversity of the coral reefs.

“Coral translocation is a last resort option when there is no alternative. "Panaceas for the problems faced by coral reefs do not exist. A costly and risky intervention may not guarantee the long-term survival and health of the corals and might introduce new threats such as diseases, predators, and invasive species to the transplanted site," Ravi Sankaran, a marine biologist and director of the Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy, and Learning (FERAL), asserted.

Sankaran suggests rigorous assessment, consultation

Sankaran said that the project should have been subjected to a rigorous environmental impact assessment (EIA) and public consultation, and that the alternatives to the pipeline should have been explored. He also said that the project should have followed the best practices and guidelines for coral translocation, such as selecting the appropriate species, sites, methods, and monitoring protocols.

He added that people should see the project in the context of the larger threats and challenges that the coral reefs in India and the world face, like climate change, pollution, overfishing, and coastal development.

Sankaran said that the government and the stakeholders should adopt a holistic and precautionary approach to conserve and restore the coral reefs, by addressing the root causes of the problems and enhancing the resilience and adaptation of the corals.

“Coral reefs are a precious and irreplaceable natural heritage. They are not only important for the marine ecosystem, but also for the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people who depend on them. We need to protect them from further degradation and loss, and restore them to their original glory. We need to act now, before it is too late,” he said.

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