Australia Turns to AI To Help Revive Dying Coral Reefs
Coral reefs across the Pacific are under mounting pressure from bleaching, warming seas and human activity. In Australia, scientists are turning to AI-guided boats and precision coral planting to restore damaged sections of the Great Barrier Reef. Meanwhile, Taiwan is focusing on reducing local threats such as pollution, overfishing and outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
REPORTER:
Somewhere near the Great Barrier Reef, an AI system drops a baby coral. It's part of Australia’s newest plan to keep its reefs alive.
REPORTER:
Aboard autonomous boats, a computer signals when to release each coral fragment — delivering new life exactly where it’s needed most.
Dr. Mark Gibbs (AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE):
When we deploy these devices, we deploy the ceramic device with the corals onboard. That gets deployed from the boat, it kind of falls down, it's quite heavy so it falls down and gently lands very close, within a metre or so of where we want it to land.
REPORTER:
The automated technology helps renew reefs damaged by bleaching — one of the biggest threats to corals worldwide, and one that’s only getting worse.
REPORTER:
Coral reefs cover a small part of the ocean, yet they are home to around a quarter of all marine species. They play a critical role in the ecological balance of our planet. But as global warming heats the seas, corals bleach — turning white as they struggle to survive.
Daniela Ceccarelli (AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE):
The sharp decline was due to the mass coral bleaching event that was driven by the global marine heatwave that actually affected coral reefs all around the world. It started in 2023 in the Caribbean and hit the Great Barrier Reef in February-March 2024.
REPORTER:
And beyond Australia, corals across the Pacific face mounting threats — from warming seas and disease to human pressures along the coast.
Chen Chung-chi (NATIONAL TAIWAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY):
In Taiwan, the strategy is more ecosystem and management focused rather than high tech planting. The government set up marine protected area limit harmful fishing and tourism.
But Taiwan's corals are not just battling bleaching and human pressures. The country experienced an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish just this year — a coral-eating predator that can devastate reefs.
In contrast to Australia’s active, AI-driven efforts, Taiwan’s government is focused on relieving pressures — removing threats to let the reefs recover naturally.
Chen Chung-chi (NATIONAL TAIWAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY):
Beyond Australia's AI coral planting, governments are taking many other approaches to protect reefs. In Taiwan, the strategy is more ecosystem and management focused rather than high tech planting. The government set up marine protected area limit harmful fishing and tourism.
REPORTER:
Protecting coral reefs means combining strategies. From AI-guided systems in Australia to hands-on approaches in Taiwan, the goal remains the same: Safeguarding these key ecosystems before it’s too late.
