BACKGROUND

Coral Rescue is an experience design project to encourage the general public in coral conservation. Coral reefs are home to 25% of marine species, and global cooperative conservation is needed to ensure their long-term preservation. The project aims to encourage the general public to engage in coral conservation, thereby contributing to maintaining marine biodiversity both now and in the future. This will be achieved through a mixture of design artifacts and activities, enabling us to reach a wide range of people. We have designed a self-growing coral IoT kit, which would be publicly accessible that enables anyone to cultivate coral at home. Once the home-grown coral reaches an appropriate size, it can be returned to the sea by experienced divers. We have also developed educational programs to educate people about the issues and encourage engagement. The project has been informed and inspired by the coral conservation research activities of Tropical Marine Science InstituteI at NUS, in particular those undertaken by Toh Tai Chong and Sam Shu Qin. We are currently collaborating with Associate Professor Nastassja Lewinski, a bioengineer at Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S., on a global educational program for high school students in Tokyo, Japan and Richmond, USA, to learn about coral growth and generate ideas with using our Coral Rescue IoT kit and education program. The project plans to use Coral Rescue kits to help local elementary and junior high school students grow and returns the endangered Japanese coral 'Edasango', found in the waters of Numazu, Japan, back to the sea next year. The project is supported by Professor Nina Yasuda of the University of Tokyo, who studies the northernmost coral communities, Associate Professor Masako Nakamura of Tokai University, and Kazuya Asakura of the Hirasawa Marine Center, a local ocean expert. To ensure the survival of corals that have been broken off due to physical factors, the plan involves planting corals on a fixed foundation that does not harm the natural environment and eventually returning them to the sea, with the rule that they must be returned to their original habitat to avoid genetic disruption.