Rebuilding damaged coral reef

PEMUTERAN, North Bali — As the late-afternoon sun bathes the beach with a soft warmth, gentle waves lap quietly at the shore -- and strollers occasionally stumble over a thick wad of white cables embedded in the fine, black sand.
The wires are part of an ambitious underwater experiment: using lowvoltage electrical current to stimulate regrowth in a badly damaged coral reef. Conceived by American coral expert Tom Goreau and German architecture professor Wolf Hilbertz, the project began four years ago and has already achieved remarkable results. Covering a total length of 305 metres, the Karang Lestari Project is the world's largest coral nursery ever built using this technology.