A ” unprecedented global initiative », baptized « Connected by the Reef – Te firi a’au »was launched a few months ago from French Polynesia by the association Tama no te Tairoto (literally, the children of the lagoon).
« More than 150 observers, from 33 countries around the world, have already registered and are preparing to participate in this world first, an observation which will begin in French Polynesia on Saturday January 18 at 7:00 a.m. The spawning wave of corals of the Porites rus species will spread, following sunrise, towards the other islands of the Pacific, then to Asia to end in the Indian Ocean and on the East African coast » specifies the association.
Labeled “United Nations Decade of Ocean Science Event”this event, supported by French Polynesia and winner of the Grand Prix des TO’A Reef Trophies 2024 from IFRECOR Polynesiais supported by the National Committee of the French Coral Reef Initiative (Ifrecor) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).
« Inscribed in the perspective of the 3th United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC3), in Nice, in June 2025, French Polynesia is strongly mobilized to highlight the strength of its model of preserving and promoting the Ocean, through a series of events and actions throughout the year, as part of the Year of the “Common Sea” », added the press release.
-This ” global citizen action in participatory science » organized by the Tama no te Tairoto association « highlights the astonishing capabilities of our coral reefs and the urgency of preserving them, at a time when the UN and the scientific community are warning of the risk of complete disappearance of corals around the world within 10 to 50 years, if nothing is done to slow the pace of climate change. Coral reefs are among the most vital ecosystems on the planet. Although they cover less than 1% of the oceans, they are home to nearly a quarter of known marine biodiversity. ».
More than 500 million people around the world directly depend on reefs for livelihood, food and protection from extreme weather events. According to the association, “porites rus” is “ one of the reef-building species “. If for the moment, the initiative has more than 150 participants, the association is still calling for contributions, particularly in the Pacific and Indian Ocean zones.
« Spawning will occur on Saturday, January 18, 2025 for countries between Central America (UTC -5) and American Samoa (UTC -11), and on Sunday, January 19, 2025 for countries between Kiribati (UTC +14). ) and Kenya (UTC +3), from 1h30 after sunrise », specifies the association which offers more information on his website.
