Mars Symbioscience Indonesia, reef restoration is not just a technical task. It is a holistic effort, from structural design, scheduled maintenance, and scientific monitoring, to ecological impact evaluation. All with one goal: restoring the ocean’s ecological function, one reef star at a time.
Bontosua Island, South Sulawesi – In waters once silenced by destructive blast fishing, underwater life is slowly returning. On the seafloor of Bontosua Island, star-shaped structures now line up like metallic spiderwebs. These are not futuristic relics, but part of a scientific and socio-ecological approach known as the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS).
Led by Permas Bagya Maulana of Mars Symbioscience Indonesia, this restoration project emphasizes that coral recovery success relies not only on technology, but also on consistent monitoring, diligent maintenance, and empowering local teams.
Reef Stars: More Than Just Planting Media
The reef stars, hexagonal structures made of sand-coated steel, are purposefully shaped.
“The hexagonal design makes it easier to interlock the structures, allowing them to stabilize rubble areas,” explained Permas. The legs of each reef star touch others, forming a strong, interconnected network that provides a new foundation for coral life.
But reef stars are more than just coral fragment holders, they also accelerate substrate stabilization and create space for other marine organisms to return.
“The hexagonal structure allows for interlocking, creating stability and a supporting network. This is crucial, especially in rubble-dominated seafloors.”
One of the key features that distinguishes the MARRS approach is ongoing maintenance. After installation, the reef stars in Bontosua are carefully maintained in weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12. Maintenance activities include:
- Replacing dead coral fragments and recording mortality data.
- Cleaning algae with brushes — from soft to coarse, depending on installation age.
- Ensuring no harm is done to growing corals.
- Utilizing herbivorous fish as natural algae cleaners.
Maintenance and monitoring are scheduled from the beginning, with October chosen as the primary annual monitoring month due to optimal weather conditions.
“Maintenance is not only a technical task, but also part of collecting critical data like survival rates”
Monitoring: Data as the Foundation
Monitoring in this project is extensive. Baseline data is collected over three months before any installation. Annual monitoring includes:
- Temperature and environmental conditions
- Habitat and substrate (via Line Intercept Transect + GoPro video, 10 cm resolution)
- Coral communities (photo quadrats with identification via CoralNet)
- Fish communities (species-level ID recorded with Mermaid app)
- Invertebrates, including size measurements and photo documentation
- Coral diseases (e.g., black band disease, white syndrome) through repeated photo quadrats
This methodology allows a systematic and long-term evaluation of both the positive and negative impacts of reef restoration.
Ecosystem Coming Back to Life
One of the key indicators of success in Bontosua is the return of megafauna such as sharks and sea turtles, previously rarely seen. Even the iconic and protected Napoleon wrasse has begun to reappear in the reef star zones.
“Before the restoration, sharks were almost never seen. Now, they’ve come back,” said Permas. This indicates that reef stars not only serve as a substrate for corals but also revive the trophic chain and help restore healthy ecosystem dynamics.
Weaving Hope on the Seafloor
For Mars Symbioscience Indonesia, reef restoration is not just a technical task. It is a holistic effort — from structural design, scheduled maintenance, and scientific monitoring, to ecological impact evaluation. All with one goal: restoring the ocean’s ecological function, one reef star at a time.
Permas closed the session with a reminder about the importance of consistency:
“Good restoration isn’t about speed, but about following a consistent methodology and ensuring every team member has a strong understanding of the process.”