In 2026, when St. Martin’s coral reef faced destruction from too much tourism and climate change, ‘Bio-rock’ technology helped restore it.
For the first time, oceanographers in Bangladesh have successfully applied this technology to revive dead corals. In March 2026, a huge garden of newborn blue and red coral was seen underwater around the island.
How does Bio-rock work? Bio-rock is a special type of steel structure that is placed on the seabed. Very low levels of electricity are passed through it.
The electricity makes minerals in seawater create a layer of calcium carbonate around the structure. This layer is like the natural skeleton of coral.
The 2026, the 2026 project showed that this technology helps coral grow 5 times faster than usual and survive in harsh temperatures.
In 2026, the number of tourists in St. Martin has been limited and each tourist has to pay an ‘eco-tax’. The money from this tax goes directly to the maintenance of the Bio-rock project.
Tourists can now see this artificial coral garden underwater on special glass boats, which has made the island’s tourism world-class.
The return of biodiversity: Our diving team has found that the number of colorful fish, sea turtles, and rare small animals around the Biorock structure has gone up by 42 percent.
St. Martin is now not just a sandy island, but one of the most important marine research laboratories in Asia.
