Sharjah24: Her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA), has emphasized the importance of leveraging modern technologies and advanced technology for the conservation of the environment, the protection of its biodiversity, and the protection of wildlife in all its components.

She explained that innovation is an ideal way to enhance and ensure the success of initiatives and projects aimed at diversifying environmental awareness tools, spreading culture, and community knowledge, all leading to a sustainable and secure environment.

This was stated upon the implementation of a project by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah for large-scale coral reef cultivation through integrating robotics technology and micro-fragmentation, on Wednesday morning, at the Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum, as part of the activities of the UAE Innovation Month under the slogan "UAE Innovates 2024."



Enhancing the conservation of coral reefs
Her Excellency, the Chairperson of EPAA, said: "This modern technology for large-scale coral cultivation is being implemented using remote-controlled robots (ROVs) and micro-fragmentation technology, which helps accelerate the cultivation of the coral reefs by streamlining the process, increasing efficiency, providing real-time monitoring of water criteria, and collecting high-resolution 3D images for valuable data for research and assessment purposes, all of which aid in boosting our ongoing conservation efforts for coral reefs."

The project includes the creation of specialized coral discs containing 8-10 pieces of coral, and these discs are equipped with miniature chips and sensors to monitor water criteria. They also contain a high-resolution laser camera that allows for the creation of 3D images. Consequently, all the data collected by the sensors and the camera are uploaded to the cloud storage instantly.

Long-term benefits
What distinguishes this technology is that the robots used in it are capable of remote control and can operate 24 hours a day. These advanced devices are programmed to fix a coral disc to the surface of the reefs every minute, which facilitates the widespread distribution of coral pieces. Moreover, these robots contain water jets that allow them to perform maintenance tasks, ensuring the health and survival of the transplanted coral pieces.