Sanya Coral Ecology Research Institute has achieved ecological restoration of 50 hectares in five years and obtained nearly 10 patents
Hainan Special Zone Daily reporter Shen Lihuan text/photo
Corals planted by Wu Chuanliang and others
Wu Chuanliang grows corals on the seabed
Zhang Yufang introduced the coral reef ecological simulation system to reporters
In Yazhou Bay, Sanya, there is a group of young people planting corals on the seabed. This kind of work seems to be "romantic", but it is actually full of challenges and difficulties. Corals are called "submarine rainforests" and function similarly to forests on land. On land, after the trees are forested, birds, animals, insects and other animals will gather; On the seabed, during the growth of coral reefs, there will be many fish and algae creatures that like to live in it. Coral reefs coexist with marine life, forming a biome and biological chain with high biodiversity, and once the coral reef ecosystem is destroyed, it means that marine life loses its "home". In the past five years, Wu Chuanliang and his team have achieved ecological restoration of an area of 50 hectares.
A Coral reef ecological simulation system: the total water body is 10 tons, like the underwater world
The corals cultivated and grown are lush and lush, and the sea urchins, shellfish and various fish species live comfortably in it, as if you are in the underwater world... On June 21, the reporter walked into the office area of Sanya Coral Ecology Research Institute in Sanya Yazhou Science and Technology City, and was greeted by a large fish tank with a length of 4 meters, a width of 1.8 meters and a height of 2 meters. Wu Chuanliang, director of the Sanya Coral Ecology Research Institute, told reporters that this is not a fish tank for ornamentation, but a coral reef ecological simulation system, with a total water body of 10 tons, which is divided into four areas, namely coral reef display area, small water body breeding area, intelligent central control system, and parameter control equipment area. The area seen by the reporter is the coral reef display area, and the usual staff need to brush their faces to enter.
According to reports, coral is the most important marine ecosystem, but also one of the most difficult to reproduce animals, nearly 30% of marine life depends on coral reefs to live. When it comes to corals, Wu Chuanliang gushed endlessly, he told reporters that corals usually include soft corals, stony corals, horn corals, flies and other large orders, there are many species below, there are currently more than 110 kinds of corals in Sanya.
Take a closer look at this miniature "underwater world", which is rich in species, including coelenterates, echinoderms, gastropods, bivalves, coral reef-dwelling fish and other typical representative species. Wu Chuanliang said that the coral reef ecological simulation system is based on an intelligent automatic control system, which can simulate a variety of habitat characteristics of coral growth, and simulate the parameters of some coral reef waters in the wild, creating a wild coral reef growth environment in different locations in the tank.
This ecological simulation system seems to be a small microcosm of the underwater world. "The underwater world is like everything in the universe, and the species are independent and dependent on each other, and the more you explore, the more interesting it is." Mr. Wu said he grew up by the sea and has learned more and more since he came into contact with corals. In recent decades, coral reefs have declined globally due to degradation and vandalism of the natural environment, and coral reefs have grown particularly slowly, with artificial cultivation and restoration imminent.
B Haikou guys were fascinated by corals and led the team to achieve ecological restoration of an area of 50 hectares
Wu Chuanliang, a 32-year-old haikou native who studied aquaculture at university and has been dealing with corals for 7 years, has dark and rough skin due to working at sea for many years, but he doesn't care. At the age of 27, he hid from his parents, took the initiative to give up the "iron rice bowl" in the national protected area, concentrated on the "coral reef ecological protection and restoration", and established the Sanya Coral Reef Ecology Research Institute, which was the only "light rod commander", mainly engaged in coral breeding, transplantation, ecological restoration and other work. When the institute first started, there was no R&D team, and he did everything himself, not afraid of the sun and the waves, attracting a group of like-minded young people. At present, his scientific research team has a total of 14 people, most of whom are "post-90s", with a master's degree or above of more than 80%, and the main research direction is coral classification and identification, coral reef ecological restoration, etc. In the past five years, the team led by Wu Chuanliang has achieved ecological restoration of 50 hectares, obtained nearly 10 patents, and established a joint training mechanism with many universities.
What kind of environment does such a small coral like? How do I reattach a drifting coral to grow? How to make corals grow better... Over the years, Wu Chuanliang and his team have continuously found problems to solve problems. "Afforestation" on the seabed is not an easy task, and different methods should be adopted according to the situation of each sea area, including steel nail planting method and glue mud planting method.
Usually, Wu Chuanliang and his team will fix the corals in a tray, then build a shelf similar to a nursery on the seabed, fix the corals in the tray to the shelf, and then transplant the corals to the seabed after they grow. Stony corals secrete calcium carbonate to form coral reefs, and researchers cut off the branches of corals, first seedlings, and then transplants.
C Species of submarine corals require diving and there is an uncontrollable risk
Carrying 40 pounds of equipment and diving to the bottom of the sea more than 10 meters deep, accidents will endanger lives. Ke Shaowen, a staff member of the institute, said that he has been working at the institute for more than two years, and he has to dive at least two or three times a week at the beginning of the week, and each time the diving time is one to two hours. While fighting against waves and buoyancy, due to poor visibility, it is almost impossible to see the species in front of you when working underwater, and sometimes it is just a screw tightening action, and when the seabed is in bad condition, it takes two to three times to complete. To monitor coral growth, they regularly go into the water to check it out.
Watching the hand-planted corals grow from a small seedling into a "coral sea", Ke Shaowen felt very excited; Seeing that some corals died of white hair because they did not survive, he could not help but be sad. "The surface of the sea looks calm, but in fact the dark tide is surging and the weather at sea is volatile, making diving on the seabed face many difficulties." Ke Shaowen said that the survival rate of corals is between 60% and 90%.
At the institute, almost every staff member has the opportunity to dive and obtain a diving license. Zhang Yufang, a chemistry graduate, is a "post-95" who often goes to sea and goes into the water after coming to the institute, and although her skin is tanned, she does not care. "At first I didn't even know what corals were, but now I can 'make a home' for them." Zhang Yufang pointed to the corals in the simulation system and said that soft corals will float around with the sea like succulents, and once they "leave home", they will shrink, looking crumpled, and the sea is their home. "This hard (stone) coral is very cute like deer antler velvet, and this mushroom-like coral, which started with only one piece, now has a large piece, and it will grow and multiply slowly." Introducing the relevant knowledge of coral, Zhang Yufang is like a number of family treasures.
Zhang Yufang's usual job is to test seawater, monitoring parameters include water temperature, salinity, pH, KH, ORP, nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, calcium ions, magnesium ions, potassium ions, illuminance, water flow rate, etc. "In general, the water in the deep sea area will be cleaner and more suitable for coral growth." Zhang Yufang said that the sea area where corals live must be clear and transparent, turbid seawater is not conducive to the growth of corals, and long-term erosion and siltation of seawater containing sediment particles will cause corals to suffocate and die.
"Corals are very dependent on seawater, and there are obvious geographical advantages in conducting coral reef research in Sanya." Wu Chuanliang said.