AI-Guided Robot Plants ‘Baby Corals’ Across the Great Barrier Reef – Good News Network

Report on AI-Assisted Coral Reef Restoration and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Addressing SDG 14 Through Technological Innovation

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has initiated a project utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to restore degraded sections of the Great Barrier Reef. This initiative directly addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water), which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources. By developing advanced methods to combat the effects of coral bleaching, the project contributes significantly to the protection and restoration of vital marine ecosystems.

Project Overview: The Deployment Guidance System (DGS)

The core of this restoration effort is a robotic assistant known as the Deployment Guidance System (DGS). This system represents a significant advancement in marine science and technology, aligning with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by enhancing scientific research and technological capabilities for environmental sustainability.

• Objective: To increase the efficiency and success rate of coral seeding on degraded reefs.
• Technology: The DGS integrates multiple technologies, including AI, robotics, and deep-learning algorithms.
• Function: It scans the seafloor to identify optimal locations for coral growth and precisely deploys ceramic devices carrying coral larvae.
• Impact: The system overcomes the limitations of human labor, enabling restoration efforts at a scale previously considered impossible.

Methodology: A Scientific Approach to Marine Ecosystem Restoration

The coral seeding process is a science-based practice refined over two decades. The integration of the DGS enhances this methodology, creating a workflow that supports climate action and ecosystem resilience, key components of SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14.

1. Larvae Cultivation: Following natural spawning events, coral larvae are captured and bred in controlled aquarium environments.
2. Seeding Device Preparation: The larvae are settled onto specially designed ceramic analogues that offer protection during their juvenile growth phase.
3. AI-Guided Deployment: The DGS vessel uses a deep-learning algorithm, informed by extensive oceanographic and ecological data, to determine the ideal moment and location for deployment.
4. Precision Placement: The system releases the coral-laden devices to within three feet of the pre-specified targets on the seafloor, maximizing the chances of survival and growth.

Future Projections and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

AIMS envisions a future where this technology is scaled up to achieve widespread reef restoration. This forward-looking strategy emphasizes collaboration and accessibility, reflecting the principles of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• Automation: The ultimate goal is to mount the DGS on autonomous vessels capable of operating continuously, day and night.
• Community Engagement: AIMS is exploring the potential to adapt the system for use on vessels operated by tourists, divers, and Traditional Owners.
• Economic Sustainability: By empowering local stakeholders to participate in restoration, the project supports the long-term health of reef-dependent economies, contributing to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Collaborative Impact: This approach transforms reef restoration into a collaborative effort, allowing all who rely on and value the reef to contribute to its preservation. As project engineer Dr. Ben Moshirian stated, “This technology is not about machines replacing humans. It is about humans working with machines, to give our science impact at a scale which was difficult to achieve previously.”

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

SDG 14: Life Below Water

• The article’s central theme is the restoration of coral reefs, specifically the Great Barrier Reef, which have been damaged by bleaching events. This directly aligns with the goal of conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources. The entire project described, from breeding coral larvae to deploying them on “degraded reef segments,” is an action-oriented initiative to protect and restore a critical marine ecosystem.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• The article highlights a significant technological innovation to solve an environmental challenge. The development and use of the “Deployment Guidance System (DGS),” a robotic assistant that leverages “artificial intelligence” and a “deep-learning algorithm,” represents an advancement in scientific research and technological capability. The project is described as a combination of “many” technologies brought together to achieve a goal that would be “near impossible” with human labor alone, fitting the spirit of innovation for sustainable development.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• While the current project is led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the article points towards future multi-stakeholder partnerships. The vision of mounting the DGS on boats “piloted for tourists, divers, or by Traditional owners” suggests a collaborative approach to reef restoration. This would “give everyone who loves and relies on the reefs the opportunity to continuously aid in their restoration,” embodying the goal of strengthening the means of implementation through partnership.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Targets under SDG 14: Life Below Water

1. Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
   • The article is a direct example of “action for their restoration.” The coral seeding project is designed to restore coral reefs that have suffered “significant adverse impacts” from “recent bleaching events.”
2. Target 14.a: Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology… in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries.
   • The project is based on increasing scientific knowledge (“figure out how to time spawning events, capture coral larvae, and breed them”) and developing new marine technology (the AI-powered DGS). This technology is explicitly designed to “improve ocean health” by restoring corals.

Targets under SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

1. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers.
   • The work of AIMS and the “project engineer behind the DGS” is a clear case of enhancing scientific research and upgrading technological capabilities. The article describes a “science-based practice” that uses advanced robotics and AI, which is a direct form of encouraging innovation to solve a critical environmental problem.

Targets under SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge-sharing.
   • The article implies knowledge-sharing by stating that “coral seeding has become an urgently targeted science-based practice around the world.” The future vision of involving diverse groups like tourists and Traditional owners also points towards creating platforms for cooperation and knowledge sharing at a local level.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Indicators for SDG 14 (Life Below Water)

• Yield of coral seeding efforts: The article explicitly mentions that the system’s workflow “improves the yield for our coral seeding efforts.” This is a direct, measurable indicator of the project’s success.
• Area of degraded reef restored: The project’s purpose is to drop coral larvae onto “degraded reef segments.” Progress can be measured by the total area of the reef that is successfully seeded and shows signs of recovery.
• Accuracy of deployment: The article states the DGS drops devices “to within 3 feet of the targeted area.” This precision is a key performance indicator of the technology’s effectiveness in ensuring larvae are placed in optimal locations for survival.

Indicators for SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)

• Development and deployment of new technologies: The creation and operational use of the Deployment Guidance System (DGS) itself serves as an indicator of technological innovation and application in the marine science field.
• Increased scale of restoration activities: An implied indicator is the scale of deployment. The article notes the technology gives science an “impact at a scale which was difficult to achieve previously” and mentions the future potential for “autonomous vessels that could seed coral day and night,” indicating that the rate and coverage of restoration can be measured.

Indicators for SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

• Number and diversity of stakeholders involved in restoration: The article suggests a future indicator by proposing the DGS could be used on boats piloted by “tourists, divers, or by Traditional owners.” Tracking the number and type of non-scientific groups actively participating in restoration would measure progress towards this partnership goal.

Summary Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: goodnewsnetwork.org