Coral Garden Project
As the Marine Life Conservation Society, our signature project "Coral Protectors" is coming to life with the contributions of one of our partners, DP World.
We are preserving the yellow corals (Eunicella cavolini), which are endemic to the Mediterranean, in the Sea of Marmara. With the permissions of our relevant ministries and under the scientific consultancy of Istanbul University, and with the support of DP World, we relocated these corals to Rabbit Island, the first and only marine protected area in Marmara, which was declared a "Strictly Protected Sensitive Area" by presidential decision. This area is facing the threat of extinction due to both natural factors and human impact, and is known as the lungs of our seas.
As part of the project, we successfully transplanted 50 coral roots with a success rate of 75%. In the second phase of the project, we are continuing to monitor annual temperature changes and their effects on the corals and surrounding biodiversity by placing temperature loggers every 10 meters near the rocky areas where we transplanted the corals.
In addition to the second phase of the project, the sails of our blue-flagged sailing boat named Valmira, which we use in our projects and dives, have been renewed with the support of DP World. This enables us to embark on new projects with confidence, harnessing the wind to make our initiatives more sustainable by drawing support from nature.