Shore bet Artwork with a mission to restore reefs

In the turquoise waters of Nacula Island, steel sculptures sit on the seafloor, adorned with coral. The artworks are part of a conservation effort to help grow and restore coral reefs as they face the threat of bleaching because of warmer seas.

- Sera Sefeti

The installation, built of marine-grade stainless steel to withstand saltwater corrosion, consists of 137 structures and houses 30 species of coral. It is designed to rehabilitate coral and collect genetic material that could help in the development of more climate-resistant varieties.

Counting Coral, a not-for-profit group, developed the project which it describes as the first sculptural coral bank. The group's founder, Jolyon Collier, said the installation blended his love of art, the ocean and Fiji - where for the past 13 years, he has witnessed the effects of coral bleaching. "It's all pristine coral, and then you watch those reefs start to die off. That is shocking to me and scary," Collier said. "I don't think Fijians are aware of the devastating effects that it would have on them if they lost their coral."