The project aims to develop coral molecular signatures that will aid future coral reef restoration policies. Traditional knowledge, molecular and ecological data will be used to characterize most resilient sites among selected localities.

Higher biodiversity ensures better resilience to an ecosystem. Thus, the species composition and species-specific sensitivities are crucial parameters to understand reef resilience. However, lack of information on true coral diversity and species composition, which can only be determined using integrative taxonomic approach, is a major hurdle for resilience analysis in Lakshadweep. The project aims to develop coral molecular signatures that will aid future coral reef restoration policies.