Coral Vita employs microfragmentation, an established coral cultivation technique in which corals are cut into small pieces to stimulate tissue regrowth, rapidly accelerating grow-out times and increasing species diversity for restoration.[7][8][9] The method was discovered in 2014 by marine researcher Dr. David Vaughan and restoration ecologist Christopher Page.[10]
The company also incorporates assisted-evolution techniques to help strengthen coral resilience to climate change threats, pioneered by Dr. Ruth Gates, also one of Coral Vita’s original advisors, and Dr. Madeleine van Oppen. Following identification through scientific screening processes, genotypes with greater resistance across species are subjected to heat-stress and, if successful, bred sexually and through clonal fragmentation, to produce stock for future out-planting.[11][12][13]
Additionally, the company integrates both wild and indoor coral spawning with controlled lighting schedules, which allows for multiple reproductive cycles annually instead of one to increase genetic diversity.[14]
To fund large-scale restoration and impact, Coral Vita: sells restoration-as-a-service to clients such as coastal hotels, insurers, governments, and cruise-port developers that rely on healthy reefs for the estimated $2.7 trillion generated annually through shoreline protection, fisheries, and tourism; offers adopt-a-coral programs for individuals and nature-positive brands; licenses proprietary ocean tech solutions; relocates coral from coastal impact zones; harnesses conservation finance mechanisms; and uses their farms as eco-tourism attractions and marine education centers for local communities.[15]