Technology for large-scale coral reef restoration

Technology for large-scale coral reef restoration

The Problem

Climate Change

Global ocean temperatures are rising rapidly due to climate change, and marine heatwaves are causing coral bleaching and mass mortality.

Emissions reductions are essential to saving coral reefs, but even if warming is capped at 1.5℃, we are are still set to lose around 70% of corals by 2050.

Scaling Issues

Coral reef restoration is needed to offset some of this reef degradation, but scaling up has been a major problem.

There are tens of millions of hectares of at risk coral reefs, but most coral reef restoration projects are restoring less than 1 hectare per year using manual techniques.

We need scalable solutions, reef scale impact, and the ability to relocate corals to more climate safe locations. That’s where Coral Maker comes in.

What we do
Coral Maker draws inspiration from the manufacturing industry to tackle the scale problem in reef restoration.

We use a combination of technology from the masonry manufacturing industry, fixed automation, robotics and artificial intelligence to speed up what are currently manual tasks in coral production and deployment.

Icon of a robot planting coral pieces

Our Mission

To provide robust and scalable technologies that make it possible to restore, install and move coral reefs at the reef scale, supporting their survival and continuation through climate change.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) are 17 goals that were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015.

The SDG’s are a global call to action and blueprint to end poverty, improve human lives and prospects, and protect the planet, with a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals by 2030.

Coral and fish underwater

Our planet’s largest ecosystem is endangered.

Coral Maker tackles Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life Below Water’.

SDG 14 ‘Life Below Water’ addresses the health of the oceans, with a specific focus on “restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans” (SDG14.2). Coral Maker is targeting large-scale restoration of the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet; coral reefs. Our goal is to restore coral reef ecosystems and return them to healthy, thriving, and biodiverse ocean habitats.

Our Partners

Our Supporters

How we do it

Scaling Issues

01
Mass producing stone coral skeletons

02
Automating coral propagation using robotics and AI

03
Logistics system designed for mass deployment of corals

In the News

Robots Enter the Race to Save Dying Coral Reefs

Biologists are working to quickly grow hardier specimens that can be propagated and transplanted by robotic arms.

Meet the WA scientist making a business out of restoring coral reefs

As a marine biologist, Taryn Foster never expected her career to lead her back home to her family’s masonry factory in Geraldton, 400 kilometres north of Perth, but that is exactly where she has been figuring out how robotics and automation can restore coral reefs.

Coral Maker: Engineering new growth

The struggle to repopulate Australia’s damaged coral reefs with new growth is too great for manual work alone. Stephen Holmes speaks to the team at Coral Maker about how it is using product development and manufacturing know-how to scale up the fight.

Want to learn more?