10 cara teknologi menyelamatkan karang

Meskipun Hari Terumbu Karang Sedunia (1 Juni) ini bukan waktunya untuk berpuas diri, PADI setidaknya mampu memberikan dua alasan ilmiah kepada para penyelam untuk merasa gembira – dan untuk menggarisbawahi bahwa setiap inisiatif konservasi benar-benar sepadan dengan usaha yang dilakukan.

“We’re often overwhelmed with bad news, especially when it comes to reefs,” says international latihan lembaga PADI.

“The once-colourful and healthy ecosystems that support a quarter of all marine species are quickly dwindling because of increasing planetary temperatures, ocean acidification, and water pollution.” 

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“Pada tahun 2021, setengah dari tutupan karang dunia telah hilang sejak tahun 1950an – dan kenaikan suhu sebesar 2.7°C dapat meningkatkan angka tersebut hingga mencapai angka bencana sebesar 70% hingga 90%.”

Sama sekali tidak menyenangkan, namun para ilmuwan telah menemukan 15 “titik terang” geografis di mana ekosistem karang tumbuh subur – dan sedang mengkajinya dengan cermat dengan harapan bahwa titik-titik tersebut merupakan kunci bagi perlindungan karang yang lebih baik di mana pun.

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Sementara itu, berbagai teknologi inovatif sedang dikembangkan yang terbukti dapat menjadi penyelamat bagi para penyelam terumbu karang yang tidak ingin kehilangan…

1 Naungan: Mencerahkan Awan

Researchers in Australia have developed a “cloud-brightening” process, using a turbine to spray microscopic sea particles into the sky and creating clouds that ultimately cast a shadow over coral reefs.

This can cool the water during heatwaves to prevent coral bleaching. It’s still experimental at this stage, but the scientists are trialling larger clouds over the next few years.

2 Suara: Pengayaan Akustik

Healthy reefs are noisy places but, when damaged, they go silent. Scientists have started playing the sounds of a healthy reef over a speaker in an unhealthy reef environment to see how the ecosystem would respond.

In a recent “acoustic enrichment” experiment, the number of fish on a degraded section of the northern Great Barrier Reef doubled – and the number of species increased by 50%.

3 Evolusi Terbantu

Para ilmuwan sedang mempercepat evolusi karang yang terjadi secara alami, untuk mempersiapkan mereka menghadapi kondisi yang lebih panas dan asam. Dua metode “evolusi terbantu” sedang dievaluasi. 

In the first, “stress conditioning”, corals are increasingly exposed to such conditions until they become more tolerant, and it’s hoped that they will pass their adaptations on to their offspring.

n the second method, Australian scientists are crossbreeding coral species to cultivate hybrids better equipped to survive future conditions.

4 Berkebun: Penanaman Kembali Karang

Di seluruh dunia, penyelam, ilmuwan, dan aktivis telah berkolaborasi untuk membiakkan karang baru dari karang yang sehat dengan menggunakan perbanyakan di dalam air.

Fragmen yang dipotong dari koloni yang sehat ditempatkan di “pembibitan” bawah air, di mana mereka dapat tumbuh dengan aman dan diawasi secara ketat. 

More cuttings are eventually taken from these corals to grow more clones until pieces are eventually replanted at damaged reef sites, and the hope is that they will then be able to colonise the reef on their own.

Yayasan Sadar PADI says it is actively supporting several local initiatives around the globe, from Indonesia to Florida.

5 Listrik: Teknologi Biorock

“Biorocks” use electricity to restore coral by creating chemical reactions that mimic its natural defence mechanisms. These steel-framed structures send a low voltage through sea water, leading to a chemical reaction that coats the coral with limestone minerals similar to a young coral’s natural coating.

The current is safe for humans and animals, and the electrified structures help to speed coral growth and make it more resistant to temperature spikes and acidity.

Salah satu uji coba yang lebih sukses dilakukan di sekitar pulau Vabbinfaru di Maladewa. Sangkar baja setinggi 12 m bernama Lotus kini tertutup rapat dengan karang sehingga sulit dibedakan dari dasar laut.

6 Pelestarian: IVF & Bank Penyimpanan Gen

Jika dunia kehilangan sebagian besar atau seluruh karangnya, penyimpanan informasi genetik karang akan menjadi satu-satunya peluang restorasi. Untuk mencapai hal ini, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute telah memelopori proses “kriopreservasi”.

By freezing coral sperm in this way, scientists can also migrate coral species that would otherwise remain both geographically and genetically isolated.

Genes from different populations are mixed to make hybrids more resistant to bleaching. In 2021 the team reported that new coral bred from a Caribbean species had been thriving for two years in Florida under human care.

And, for the first time, a coral grown in the lab has reproduced in the wild. Elkhorn coral was grown in a laboratory from cell samples collected in Curaçao and then replanted on the reef a year later. The coral has now grown to the size of a basketball, reproducing naturally.

7 Peniruan: Pencetakan 3D

Ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau has been working in the southern Caribbean using 3D printing to create, expand and restore coral reefs, in a partnership with PADI 5* dive centre and resort Desa Pelabuhan Bonaire. 

Para ilmuwan menggunakan pencetakan 3D untuk membantu membuat terumbu palsu yang meniru tekstur dan struktur terumbu alami. Kawasan ini tidak hanya menyediakan habitat baru bagi fauna dan flora laut, namun juga tempat bagi bayi polip karang untuk menempel dan berkembang biak guna menciptakan struktur baru dengan lebih cepat.

8 Skema Piramida: Blok Angin

Breeze-block pyramids are being placed on the seabed to encourage reef life to use their surfaces to create new ecosystems, as part of a programme developed and funded by PADI 5* centre Menyelam Grenada. Each structure is around 2m tall and weighs around 500kg.

The breeze-block reefs can be used for latihan new divers – reducing the risk of inadvertent damage to natural reefs.

9Eksekusi: Pembunuh Robo-Bintang Laut

Crown-of-thorns starfish are destroying coral on the Great Barrier Reef and, with vinegar the new chosen poison to kill them, an autonomous robot has been developed to administer the injections. COTSbot uses GPS to cruise around the seabed, and once it spots a victim it uses an extended arm to deliver the lethal shot. 

Para peneliti di Universitas Teknologi Queensland berharap robot tersebut dapat beroperasi penuh di GBR tahun depan, mampu memberikan 200 suntikan dalam periode delapan jam.

10 Daur Ulang: Botol Bir & Anggur

A new technology developed to create sand from glass waste is being used to rid islands of rubbish while providing a key component to the cement structures serving as artificial reefs for grafted elkhorn coral. In both Puerto Rico and Fiji, innovative researchers are solving multiple issues facing the local communities with much success, says PADI.

World Reef Day was introduced by a US natural sunscreen manufacturer in 2019. PADI’s guide to how divers can help coral reefs can be found di sini.

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