The UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) is set to launch the first coral larvae cryobank facility in the Philippines to boost local coral restoration.
This is part of a landmark regional effort to conserve coral reef biodiversity through cryopreservation amid increasing threats to coral reefs from climate change and human activity.
The project “Coral Conservation Capacity Development in the Coral Triangle: A Cryorepository Network for Coral Larvae” involves research institutions from the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to establish the first regional network of coral larval cryobanks in the Coral Triangle.
“It’s not just about preserving corals today, it’s about building a foundation for future research and reef restoration that can benefit generations to come,” Philippine research team lead Dr. Maria Vanessa Baria-Rodriguez said.
Alongside her laboratory, the Interactions of Marine Bionts and Benthic Ecosystems Laboratory (IMBiBE), Baria-Rodriguez seeks to strengthen the country’s capacity to safeguard coral biodiversity.
Dr. Chiahsin Lin of National Dong Hwa University and the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Taiwan leads the project, which is supported by the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) through the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, Inc. (MERF).
Lin and his students likewise led a capacity-building training on cryopreservation at the UP MSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory in December 2024.
The training equipped research assistants of the IMBiBE laboratory with knowledge and experience in cryopreservation techniques like vitrification and cryobanking.
Lin also led a follow-up training in February at the NMMBA to further enhance technical skills and regional collaboration.
IMBIBE laboratory research assistant Ryan Carl De Juan has since begun collecting and monitoring brooding Pocilloporid colonies, with initial trials in vitrification and banking resulting in the successful cryopreservation of early-stage coral larvae. The team maintains monthly efforts to increase the number of cryopreserved larvae across various target coral species.
