Building a mega reef in the Gulf of Oman

In the Gulf of Oman, a group of local divers cut coral freshly removed from the reef into several pieces to be replanted in the waters below.

Reef rescue in the Gulf of Oman These local divers are replanting corals to create a 'mega reef' They're cut from other corals nearby and split into several pieces A project to protect sea life, and combat coral bleaching (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR OF MARINE ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH DEPARTMENT AT MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT, AHMED AL-ZAABI, SAYING: "So we are recreating the coral reef environment and system, which become colonized with fish and increases biodiversity and becomes a habitat for fish species that are threatened and it becomes a nice environment for diving tourism.

And all these things come from planting corals or the coral colonies that exist all over the world, thus, when these colonies grow, everything changes in this habitat." The team is with the UAE's Fujairah Adventure Centre They've planted over 9,000 corals over about 600 square meters in the past year Reefs develop naturally over thousands of years and are crucial to the survival of many species But planted reefs can take years to become self-sustainable