The MSC Foundation is set to advance its coral research efforts with the near-completion of Phase One of its new Marine Conservation Center at Ocean Cay. This significant initiative focuses on a coral nursery that hosts five distinct species and 13 genotypes of reef-building coral, supporting vital conservation and restoration efforts.
Phase Two of the construction, scheduled for completion by April 2025, will enhance the Foundation's Super Coral Programme, aimed at accelerating coral restoration within the Mission Blue Hope Spot at Ocean Cay in The Bahamas. The Marine Conservation Center will also include public educational facilities, increasing awareness of the urgent need to protect coral reefs. This expansion will allow the Foundation to scale up its outreach and public engagement, a key aspect of the programme.
During a recent workshop aboard MSC Seashore and at Ocean Cay, 20 national and international conservationists gathered to lay the groundwork for the MSC Foundation’s 2030 Roadmap for Coral Conservation. This plan represents a comprehensive update to the Super Coral Programme, first established in 2019. Since 2022, the programme has been focused on identifying resilient coral species, particularly the critically endangered elkhorn coral, while advancing techniques for coral propagation and outplanting. The programme builds on MSC Cruises' long-term restoration of Ocean Cay’s marine ecosystem, which began with the transformation of the former sand-mining site.
Notable achievements of the Super Coral Programme include:
- Identifying coral genotypes with high thermal resilience
- Developing open-water coral nursery techniques
- Successful outplanting of resilient coral species
- 100% survival of nursery corals during the recent marine heatwave.
With the new Marine Conservation Center, the MSC Foundation’s work is entering a new and promising phase, poised to make a lasting impact on coral conservation.