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Innovation gives hope for Florida’s coral reefs
South Florida is fortunate to have two qualities that draw the envy of communities across the country — beautiful marine ecosystems that include rare and endangered coral reef populations, and a robust and growing economy. While both are unique and critical to our region’s strength, too often they are in conflict. Regardless of the type of project, the debates surrounding protecting our environment versus enabling economic expansion usually force neighbors to choose one side or the other.
But thanks to several breakthrough innovations, there’s hope for facilitating major economic development projects without harming our fragile and rare marine ecosystem. As a marine scientist who spends my days in the coral nurseries of a leading marine research institution in Broward County, I’m amazed by advancements in technology to protect our coral populations and confident that our delicate ecosystem can thrive in the face of economic development.
For example, for decades transplanting coral populations was considered an endeavor met with challenges and moderate success. Moving fragile corals from a nursery to a wild reef could result in survival rates that were little better than a coin flip, especially in areas like Broward and Miami-Dade counties. If the sediment from nearby construction didn’t smother them, predators like the parrotfishes consume them, picking off young, vulnerable outplants before they could become established.
Today, that narrative is changing. We are entering a period where innovation is closing the gap between economic development and environmental stewardship.
Take the work being done by researchers at Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute, for example, who are pioneering new medicinal treatments that function like a coral rehab facility on the sea floor. They are demonstrating that the devastating Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, often spread due to stirred sediment from events like dredging and increased storm activity, can be effectively reduced thanks to specialized antibiotic pastes and probiotic treatments applied directly to wild, infected corals.
These aren’t human medicines adapted for the ocean. They are specialized ecological treatments designed to restore the health of the reef itself. While labor intense, these treatments make a measurable and quantifiable difference in the survival of these keystone species.
I have also worked on improving the survivability of transplanted coral by helping to create a new protective device called the Coral Fort. It is a simple but game-changing concept: a protective cradle that shields young, transplanted coral from predators during their most vulnerable growth phase.
The key component for the Coral Fort’s success might come as a surprise to many — it is made out of drinking straws. Except these are no ordinary straws. They’re marine-biodegradable and made from fermented canola oil, a substrate called PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate). These straws provide a physical barrier against predatory fish, and then, as the coral grows and hardens, the straws naturally and safely dissolve in the seawater, leaving behind a healthy, established coral colony.
In our trials, we have seen survival rates for these coral transplants jump to over 90%. This isn’t just a victory for a single device. It’s proof that we can now move corals with a level of precision and reliability that was unimaginable a decade ago. By healing ailing corals and strengthening our nursery outplants, we aren’t just “mitigating” damage. We are actively rebuilding the resilience of the ecosystem.
So, as major coastal economic development projects like the expansion of Port Everglades, the Miami-Dade ‘Back Bay’ storm surge project and ongoing beach renourishment efforts across Broward County’s coastline continue to surface, there are reasons to be optimistic. The future of South Florida’s coral populations doesn’t have to be a story of managed decline.
If we embrace these new technologies and prioritize restoration-first thinking, we can create a blueprint for how a modern society thrives alongside its most precious natural wonders. Coastal development must prioritize limiting its impact on the natural systems that make Florida so special. It’s a chance to prove that when we combine local science with innovative engineering, both the economy and the environment can win.
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