Micro-fragment Breakthroughs in the Simpang Lagoon

We closed the August monitoring cycle with invigorating news: the 420 Porites cylindrica micro-fragments planted in Simpang Lagoon last September have fused into 65 dense colonies, each now larger than an adult hand. Water temperatures peaked at 31.8°C during the June warm event, yet survival held at 92% – a testament to the genetic selection and shading screens trialled this season.

Resilience snapshot

Key drivers behind this 92% survival rate

Shade, soundscapes, and human stewardship worked in tandem to stabilise thermally stressed fragments and keep grazers onsite.

Driver	Summary
Hybrid shading	Woven nipah palm panels paired with recycled fishing nets dropped peak thermal stress by approximately 1.6°C, letting polyps feed uninterrupted.
Reef soundscapes	Daily playback of healthy reef audio pulled herbivores back to the nursery tables, lifting natural algae grazing by 38% within six weeks.
Community patrols	Kampung Loro fisherfolk now rotate weekly algae removal and predator sweeps, keeping nursery hardware clean and defended.

“The coral polyps maintained daytime extension even through the warm spell. Seeing juvenile damselfish take shelter among the new ridges means the habitat is working.”

Nurul · Reef Technician

Next up, we are extending the trial to deeper bommies and testing larval settlement tiles pre-coated with crustose coralline algae from neighbouring reefs. Guests staying with us can join the October outplant dives and contribute to transect data collection.