A 2-day training workshop on Coral Species Identification and Reef Restoration, intending to broaden the scope of Sri Lanka Navy divers, was successfully held at the Command Diving & Salvage Unit (East) in Naval Dockyard Trincomalee and Sandy Bay on 13th and 14th September 2022.
The training program, organised by the Tokyo Cement Group, was conducted by renowned marine biologists and coral conservation experts attached to Blue Resources Trust (BRT) and Ocean Resources Conservation Association (ORCA), primary partners in the Tokyo Cement’s Coral Reef Conservation program. Ten Officers and forty Sailors attached to the Sri Lanka Navy Diving Unit participated in the workshop, which covered practical and theoretical aspects of reef ecosystem management and restoration. Practical sessions including coral species and reef fish species identification, reef survey techniques and aftercare procedures were conducted at the underwater coral nursery at Sandy Bay.
Sri Lanka Navy is deeply involved in Coral Conservation and various other initiatives to reduce any damages being caused to this precious ecosystem due to natural causes and human activities. As part of this mission, the Sri Lanka Navy has become a much-valued long-term partner of Tokyo Cement Group’s Coral Reef Rehabilitation Program. The Navy has taken a leading role in Coral replanting and deploying artificial Reef Balls, made using recycled waste concrete, along the coastal belt in Galle, Trincomalee, Pasikudah, Kayankerni, Dutch Bay and Jaffna.
The corals that were placed by Navy Divers on artificial concrete Reef Balls previously, under the Navy Coral Conservation Project are currently growing successfully. In the future, the Navy plans to open opportunities for local and foreign divers to engage in recreational diving at these sites, with the objective of boosting local tourism and fisheries industries.
Coral Reef Conservation is among the many sustainability initiatives Tokyo Cement Group has undertaken. They include the Mangroves Reforestation Program, where the company collaborates again with the Sri Lanka Navy, to replant mangrove saplings along the Eastern coastline of Sri Lanka. The company’s commitment to social responsibility breathes life through initiatives such as this, by which they successfully integrate social welfare and environmental conservation into its corporate DNA as part of their continuous mission to enrich the country, its people and the environment.
