Coral reefs support roughly 25% of all marine species and sustain 500-million livelihoods globally, yet the International Coral Reef Initiative reports a 14% loss in global reefs over the last decade due to climate-driven bleaching. While often perceived as a distant issue, South Africa's own critical reef systems span 150 kilometres of the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline within the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area, supporting over 500 fish species and generating 60 000 eco-tourism dives annually, says Canon.

To combat this underwater crisis, Canon South Africa says it is leveraging its World Unseen platform to equip front-line conservationists with advanced imaging technology. Key partners include Coral Spawning International, a United Kingdom-based research organisation, and Nature Seychelles, a regional conservation non-profit.

"It's incredibly difficult to care about what you can't see," says Leander Kettledas, Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager at Canon South Africa. "Coral bleaching is a gradual, silent process. If you're not looking closely, you miss the urgency entirely. That's where imaging technology makes a difference, it exposes what is happening beneath the surface."

Unlike traditional restoration that relies on coral fragmentation, this partnership focuses on sexual reproduction to enhance genetic diversity and reef resilience. Canon says it is supporting the establishment of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean's first land-based coral spawning facility. Built as part of Nature Seychelles' Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility, this lab pioneers controlled sexual reproduction, aiming to develop a resilient genetic bank while providing scientists with vital data on early growth and survival rates.

Imaging technology serves as a foundational scientific asset in this environment. Researchers utilise high-resolution macro lenses, underwater systems and photogrammetry to map reefs, document spawning events and track larval development, says Canon.

"Photography is a scientific tool in this context," says Kettledas. "Capturing coral spawning at a microscopic level allows researchers to make data-driven decisions. Furthermore, when the public sees the contrast between a vibrant reef and a bleached one, the issue ceases to be an abstract statistic, it becomes a tangible call to action."

By documenting both the degradation and recovery of these interconnected marine ecosystems, Canon concludes that it aims to shift the environmental conversation from inevitable loss to active possibility. On World Oceans Day, protecting the unseen begins with providing the tools to see it.

For more information, visit www.canon.co.za. You can also follow Canon on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor