{"id":45188,"date":"2023-06-08T09:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsknews.autodesk.com\/?post_type=stories&p=45188"},"modified":"2023-06-08T10:45:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T14:45:20","slug":"save-the-coral-reefs","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/adsknews.autodesk.com\/en\/stories\/save-the-coral-reefs\/","title":{"rendered":"A race to restore the world\u2019s coral reefs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Taryn Foster has spent her life exploring the coral reefs of Western Australia. The nature tech startup she founded, Coral Maker, uses manufacturing technology to increase the impact of coral reef restoration.<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n

It can take anywhere from 10,000 to tens-of-millions of years for a coral reef to form, and just weeks for it to die. Finicky coral needs perfect conditions to thrive: access to sunlight, and lots of clean, clear, salty water that’s warm\u2014but not too warm. But today\u2019s conditions are far from favorable. Ocean temperatures are rising, a consequence of climate change. And a tragedy is in the making. Without intervention, we\u2019re on track to lose 70%\u201390% of our planet\u2019s most biodiverse ecosystem\u2014the coral reefs of the world\u2014by 2050. <\/p>\n

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Rising temperatures of the world\u2019s oceans has, by some estimates, already resulted in the loss of 50% of coral reefs globally, and that number is likely to increase.<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n

That is, unless we find a faster way to bring coral reefs back from the brink. A company called Coral Maker<\/a> has done just that, and I\u2019m excited to share its story today, on the UN\u2019s World Oceans Day<\/a>. My personal passion\u2014the reason I became an architect, and now am so proud of what we do at Autodesk Research\u2014is to help create better environments and a healthier planet, and support others who are doing the same. Coral Maker uses manufacturing technology to deliver coral reef restoration at scale. Autodesk and the Autodesk Foundation<\/a> provide pro bono support, digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and robotics expertise. This collaboration has helped Coral Maker achieve the major milestone of piloting its solution off the coast of Western Australia, and now the company seeks investment to deliver its vision of restoring hundreds of hectares of coral reefs per year. <\/p>\n

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With Autodesk\u2019s help, Coral Maker developed a method of locally, affordably producing coral reef restoration skeletons using existing masonry manufacturing techniques and reclaimed construction materials.<\/p><\/div> <\/div>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just had six consecutive years of record-breaking ocean temperatures, and we\u2019ve already lost around 50% of coral reefs worldwide,\u201d says Dr. Taryn Foster, Coral Maker\u2019s founder, in the brief documentary video we released today. \u201cAt the moment, coral reef restoration is happening at quite a small scale, and a lot of the work is being done manually. Current restoration projects are doing around a hectare a year. With Coral Maker\u2019s technology, paired with a larger supply chain and the development of this industry, we can do 100 hectares a year.\u201d