Tourism usually requires accommodations and supporting infrastructure, thus placing high demands on available resources. Many countries are experiencing significant environmental degradation, especially islands whose economies rely on tourism. In addition, the region is experiencing an increase in population growth, expansion of urban areas and extraction of natural resources.

Salybia Reef, approximately 1.5km long and 90m offshore in Salybia Bay, is the only fringing coral reef in Trinidad. It is a relatively recent reef built upon bedrock close to the surface and of low diversity with unique characteristics not found in other regions. In 1973 Buccoo Reef, the largest and oldest coral reef in Tobago, was designated a marine park. Most of the system was declared a restricted area under the Marine Areas Preservation and Enhancement Act No. 1 of 1970 of the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Associated with it is the Bon Accord Lagoon which is almost totally enclosed by a dense mangrove belt and Sheer Bird’s Point. Due to a combination of pollution from land effluents and physical damage from anchors, destructive fishing practices, reef walking and hurricanes Buccoo Reef has become severely degraded.

Apart from conserving pristine natural habitats, coral reefs offer many goods and services which are economically beneficial. Reefs play a vital role in Coastal defense, fisheries, tourism and the local economy. Reefs are constantly changing due to natural disturbances and variability. As a result, reef rehabilitation goals usually include converting a damaged system into a stable alternative use. Natural reef restoration is a very slow process, as it occurs through natural growth of corals. However, this natural process is not occurring fast enough to reverse reef deterioration. In order to expedite this process several reef restoration techniques have been developed to compensate for reef deterioration. Some advantages of reef restoration include:

• faster growth rate of coral
• increased coral settlement
• increased coral reproduction and
• increased survival of coral under adverse environmental conditions.

One such technique is the use of mineral accretion technology based on electrolysis in sea water to increase calcium carbonate precipitation. Although electrolysis appears to work faster than the natural method of recruitment, the mechanisms are not fully understood. As a result it is difficult for fine-tuning and modifications to occur. This will be a definitive study to determine if the mineral accretion technique accelerates coral growth.

Past research has explored the use of electrolysis to enhance accretion and calcification processes in coral reef restoration. It involves running a low DC current through a metal mesh causing the precipitation and deposition of reef like material, such as CaCO3, brucite, aragonite and MgOH2, from seawater.

There have been several theoretical and short-term approaches investigating the mineral accretion method. No scientific evidence of long-term growth rate measurements have been found, despite obtaining some short time scale achievements of natural colonization, recruitment and high survival rates of transplanted corals. We have found only one published controlled experiment that ran a low DC current through a metal mesh causing the precipitation and deposition of reef–like material from seawater resulting in increased coral growth rates, but this was a short-term experiment.

For this study several approaches will be incorporated and the study will be conducted in two phases. Phase one will consist of a small scale experiment at the Toco Reef in Toco, while phase two will be a more broad scale experiment at Buccoo Reef, Tobago. Both phases have an expected time frame of 1 year and 2 years respectively. An electrically conductive frame will be built from non-galvanized steel mesh (e.g. chicken wire) and will serve as the cathode. This will be submerged and anchored to the sea bottom. The anode will be a special titanium mesh which does not corrode. Usually in coral reef environments structures that rest on limestone bedrock will eventually cement solidly to the hard bottom. Live coral fragments will be attached using plastic cable ties or steel binding wire to the cathode. Although any direct current source will work, it is preferred to use solar generated power. The solar panels will be set up on shore and will feed low voltage direct current to the study site via cables, which is safe for swimmers, divers and marine life. It is expected that after 2 weeks coral fragments will cement to the mesh from accreted material and after 8 weeks all the implanted coral fragments will be well cemented to the mesh.

This project will advance sponsors by initiating a research link or enhancing one if one has been established and strengthening relations between sponsors and the University of the West Indies. This project represents an opportunity for the environment, community, tourism, State agencies and corporate sponsors to benefit from and be part of an initiative to rehabilitate resources that are rapidly depleting. This would be an ideal opportunity for everyone involved to work together in preserving and enhancing the natural environment, which is sensitive and is to be preserved for the sustainable use by future generations.