Coral reef restoration for coastal protection: Crafting technical and financial solutions

Toward a New Era of Coral Reef Monitoring

Coral reefs host some of the highest concentrations of biodiversity and economic value in the oceans, yet these ecosystems are under threat due to climate change and other human impacts. Reef monitoring is routinely used to help prioritize reefs for conservation and evaluate the success of intervention efforts. Reef status and health are most frequently characterized using diver-based surveys, but the inherent limitations of these methods mean there is a growing need for advanced, standardized, and automated reef techniques that capture the complex nature of the ecosystem. Here we draw on experiences from our own interdisciplinary research programs to describe advances in in situ diver-based and autonomous reef monitoring. We present our vision for integrating interdisciplinary measurements for select "case-study" reefs worldwide and for learning patterns within the biological, physical, and chemical reef components and their interactions. Ultimately, these efforts could support the development of a scalable and standardized suite of sensors that capture and relay key data to assist in categorizing reef health. This framework has the potential to provide stakeholders with the information necessary to assess reef health during an unprecedented time of reef change as well as restoration and intervention activities.

Using biomimicry and bibliometric mapping to guide design and production of artificial coral reefs

Worldwide, artificial reefs are being installed to simultaneously attract recreational divers and protect deteriorating natural reefs. This study uses a bibliometric review of artificial coral reefs to identify five clusters as gate criteria for artificial reef design. These clusters enable the conceptualization and testing of artificial reefs for optimum integration of sociotechnical requirements, biological integrity, and ecological marine health. The five clusters are: (1) applications, solutions, and performance; (2) management, technology, and science; (3) calcification, biomineralization, chemistry, and ocean acidification; (4) coral species survival, mortality, and photosynthesis; and (5) artificial reef development, and coral and fish recruitment. The six biomimicry design stages are: define, biologize, discover, abstract, emulate, and evaluate. The 3D printing and hard corals design attracted a large number of planula larvae and different inhabitant corals, and a high species diversity in the surrounding waters. Practical implications include biomimicry-based means for coral reef restoration and recreational ecosystem services.