Data and code for "Larval seedboxes: a modular and effective tool for scaling coral reef restoration"

This dataset contains the experimental data underpinning the development and field testing of the larval seedbox, a modular and passive delivery system designed to scale coral reef restoration. Data include larval culturing, seedbox deployments, and coral settlement surveys conducted at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef in November 2024. The seedboxes facilitated the delayed release of ~14 million competent coral larvae across ~2 hectares of degraded reef, with settlement quantified on 234 tiles placed around seedboxes and at reference sites. The collection documents larval densities, settlement rates, and spatial modelling of dispersal, providing evidence that the larval seedbox significantly enhances settlement compared to natural background levels. These data support the first empirical demonstration of unrestrained, broad-scale coral larval seeding as a practical restoration tool.