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Using Advance Technology and AI for Reef Restoration: Implications of Active Management to declare a Marine Protected Area in Mauritius

Using Advance Technology and AI for Reef Restoration: Implications of Active Management to declare a Marine Protected Area in Mauritius

The restoration site at Pointe-aux-Feuilles covers an area of approximately 2,000 ha (20km2) and is highly visited by tourists and locals. More than 27,200 coral fragments have been reared and transfered around the degraded site. Along with that, a platform equipped with camera were deployed to allow constant monitoring and live-viewing of the nursery. The site was monitored to analyse the coral fragment growth along with surrounding biodiversity with the help of the live camera stream and constant field work by the diver teams. The project also increased environmental stewardship and interest of other stakeholders such as the locals, fishermen and students by educating them about the importance of reef restoration via various activities. The site is now an approved VMCA (Voluntary Marine Conservation Area) by the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping of Mauritius. This solution focuses on technology based-awareness and actions undertaken to restore the reef ecosystems.

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