The world’s largest coral discovered in the Solomon Islands

National Geographic scientists say they have discovered the world’s largest coral near the remote Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean – an underwater mass so large it can be seen from space.

The man who found it, Manu San Felix, director of cinematography for the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas, a program dedicated to marine conservation, says the giant organism measures 34 meters wide and 32 meters long and is “close to the size of a cathedral.”

“I see this as a living library that has information about the conditions of the oceans for centuries,” he told reporters this week, stressing that it is a reminder of the need to better protect the ocean from global climate change.

Eric Brown, a coral scientist from Pristine Seas, said that the huge species of coral, Pavona clavus, is healthy and has “high reproductive potential”, making it important to help other coral reef ecosystems recover from the damage from a warming ocean.

Corals “are very vulnerable ecosystems. So it’s important for us to do what we can to protect these environments that are both small and mighty,” Brown said at a press briefing Tuesday to announce the find.

The announcement comes as world leaders gather for the UN climate conference, known as COP29, in Azerbaijan. Participants are trying to agree on new mechanisms to finance a global energy transition to renewable energy and help nations like the Pacific Islands pay for the costs of adapting to rising oceans.

pristine seas also encourages nations to designate marine protected areas, or MPAs. The goal is to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. attends the summit. Palau has cordoned off 80% of its waters for development, while the neighboring Pacific island nation of Niue has designated 40% of its waters for protection.

“It can’t just be big countries. Small countries must do their part,” he told VOA in an interview. “So, it’s all of us working together … protecting our oceans because we know that healthy oceans are an important part of the ecosystem and important in regulating the climate.”

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele agreed.

“Our survival depends on healthy coral reefs, so this exciting discovery underscores the importance of protecting and sustaining them for future generations,” he said in a press release.

But so far the Solomon Islands have created a network of 79 designated marine conservation areas — less than 1% of its exclusive economic zone. Furthermore, its economy is heavily dependent on forestry – the very industry that threatens coral viability through sedimentation.

“All that sediment goes onto a reef and it suffocates the reef and prevents the corals from being able to feed, grow, reproduce,” Molly Timmers, chief scientist at Pristine Seas in the Solomon Islands, said at the press conference.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexityan online platform that seeks to visualize the distribution of international trade, the Solomons exported $308 million in raw wood in 2022, of which $260 million went to China.

VOA asked Chief Dennis Marita, director of culture in the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, how the government can strike a balance.

“A lot of the logging activity takes place on the mainland” away from the coral, Marita said in an interview, but “there needs to be a serious awareness of the effects of what’s happening in the logging industry on the marine environment.”

Marita sees this coral discovery as a way to attract scientists, biologists and tourists to generate income for the small island nation of 740,000 people. Earlier this week was The Solomon Islands signed an agreement with China to provide visa-free travel between the two countries.

“Suddenly people will start coming to the island, but then we have to be prepared for them and we also have to make sure the corals are protected,” said Marita.

Dr. Daniel Barshis of Old Dominion University’s Department of Ecological Sciences in Norfolk, Virginia, said the idea has merit.

“I would imagine this discovery would draw tourists to the area, the same way old trees inspire people to visit,” he told VOA by email.

“The fact that (corals) like this still exist is a reminder that coral reefs are still surviving and deserve that we work as hard as we possibly can to save them from some of the worst-case scenarios if we don’t reverse course on greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible,” said Barshis.

William Yang contributed to this report.