The Dutch Caribbean island of Saba has detailed its ‘big new plans’ for some tiny sea urchins, making the West Indian sea egg and long-spined species the focus of a new coral restoration programme funded by the Dutch Government’s Nature and Environment Policy Plan.

Running from now until 2026, the programme will channel fresh energy and new finances into the revival of two of the island underwater ecosystem’s key species of coral as it turns its attention to both its staghorn coral and its elkhorn coral alongside the creation of a new research facility for the island.

A collaborative effort between teams from Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (VHL), the project will get underway first mapping the parent colonies of each species using a technique known as ‘coral gardening’ – a method that involves taking small coral fragments and growing them through asexual reproduction until they are mature.

Through this, the Foundation will then establish and maintain a new area of designated coral nurseries. Typically, once corals are mature they can be transferred – or outplanted – to reef sites. In this instance, the matured corals will be outplanted to key sites around Saba not only to expand the number of coral colonies within Saba’s waters but provide essential habitat for its marine life, too.

Calling in the reef cleaners

This is where those urchins will have a role to play. Four years ago, a paper published in the scientific periodical, Nature, went some lengths to present the grazing effects of sea urchins on the abundance of algae within the coral ecosystem. Until then, the herbivorous appetite of the sea urchin had been overlooked by researchers in favour of the eating habits of fish.

The research concluded there was a noticeable efficiency in the use of sea urchins and their essential role as ‘coral grazers’, keeping algal levels under control therefore allowing corals the ‘breathing room they need to grow’. In the waters of Saba, coral conservationists will deploy the West Indian sea egg and long-spined sea urchin – both of which are known for their particularly voracious appetite for algae.

This area of the project will be overseen by VHL as its university researchers work to cultivate and ‘re-stock’ the two species who in turn will act as ‘reef cleaners’ for the outplanted corals, setting the stage “for a healthier, more balanced marine ecosystem”.

The project will be funded as part of the Dutch Government’s Nature and Environment Policy Plan (NEPP) 2020-2030 for the Caribbean Netherlands, a comprehensive initiative aimed at conserving and restoring the unique natural environments of the Dutch Caribbean islands, including Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire.

The project itself, according to the teams behind it, is “aiming for big milestones”: building and maintaining coral nurseries; the expansion of urchin cultivation facilities; and the creation of a dedicated research centre.

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, said: “By 2026, the project hopes to ramp up coral and grazer restoration, with the ultimate goal of extending these efforts across the Dutch Caribbean. By linking local initiatives to broader regional goals, Saba’s restoration project aims to leave a lasting impact on both the environment and the community.”

The Saba Conservation Foundation is a non-profit nature management organisation based on the island in the Dutch Caribbean. Its mission is to commit to the preservation and enhancement of the marine and terrestrial environment on Saba through education, scientific research, monitoring and enforcement.

It boasts a marine park encircling the entire island from the high-water mark to a depth of 60m (200 feet), including the seabed and its overlying waters. One of the few self-sustaining marine parks anywhere in the world, the total area it spans is around 1,300 hectares.