On a mission to save the oceans
Dr Emma Camp is aware of how important coral reefs are to the health of the ocean, so she’s embarked on a project to reseed them
Image: Supplied/Rolex
Dr Camp is a marine biologist who is researching how certain species of coral are able to survive in extreme environments. Coral reefs are vibrant sources of life, food, and shelter for millions of sea creatures. They also play a critical role in protecting shorelines from erosion, and many people all over the world depend on them for sources of income in the form of ecotourism. To lose these ecosystems forever would be devastating.
In an effort to arrest and reverse some of the damage that’s already been done, Dr Camp journeyed to New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean in 2016 to research corals that thrive under adverse conditions. Her scientific report in 2019, an outcome of this research, painted a picture of hope: parts of the Barrier Reef in Australia shared similar characteristics with the New Caledonian coral environments. Dr Camp identified Howe Island and the Lowe Isles as being places where new coral nurseries could be seeded, thus repopulating some of the bleached and barren stretches already damaged by the effects of climate change.
Image: Supplied/Rolex
Fourteen thousand new species of coral have been transplanted into these nurseries in under a year. While attacking and reversing the effects of climate change head-on is the main prize, Dr Camp’s coral species research is giving hope for the future by protecting and fostering more resilient species of coral that can withstand changing ocean conditions.
The Rolex Perpetual Planet initiative emphasises the importance of making communities and people living in sensitive oceanic environments part of the solution to saving them, and an important part of Dr Camp’s project is educating a new generation of ecotourism operators and other stakeholders as to why this work is important. It’s only by working together that ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef can be preserved and protected for future generations.
Navigate to rolex.org to discover more and to watch the Rolex Heroes of the Oceans documentary #PerpetualPlanet #RolexAwards