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Burt AJ, Vogt-Vincent N, Johnson H, Sendell-Price A, Kelly S, Clegg SM, Head C, Bunbury N, Fleischer-Dogley F, Jeremie MM, Khan N, Baxter R, Gendron G, Mason-Parker C, Walton R, Turnbull LA. Integration of population genetics with oceanographic models reveals strong connectivity among coral reefs across Seychelles. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4936. [PMID: 38472289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55459-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Many countries with tropical reef systems face hard choices preserving coral reefs in the face of climate change on limited budgets. One approach to maximising regional reef resilience is targeting management efforts and resources at reefs that export large numbers of larvae to other reefs. However, this requires reef connectivity to be quantified. To map coral connectivity in the Seychelles reef system we carried out a population genomic study of the Porites lutea species complex using 241 sequenced colonies from multiple islands. To identify oceanographic drivers of this connectivity and quantify variability, we further used a 2 km resolution regional ocean simulation coupled with a larval dispersal model to predict the flow of coral larvae between reef sites. Patterns of admixture and gene flow are broadly supported by model predictions, but the realised connectivity is greater than that predicted from model simulations. Both methods detected a biogeographic dispersal barrier between the Inner and Outer Islands of Seychelles. However, this barrier is permeable and substantial larval transport is possible across Seychelles, particularly for one of two putative species found in our genomic study. The broad agreement between predicted connectivity and observed genetic patterns supports the use of such larval dispersal simulations in reef system management in Seychelles and the wider region.
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Affiliation(s)
- April J Burt
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK.
- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mont Fleuri, Mahé, Seychelles.
| | - Noam Vogt-Vincent
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Helen Johnson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
| | | | - Steve Kelly
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Sonya M Clegg
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Catherine Head
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Nancy Bunbury
- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mont Fleuri, Mahé, Seychelles
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | | | - Marie-May Jeremie
- Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Victoria, Seychelles
| | - Nasreen Khan
- Island Conservation Society Seychelles, Pointe Larue, Mahé, Seychelles
| | - Richard Baxter
- Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles, Victoria, Seychelles
| | - Gilberte Gendron
- Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles, Victoria, Seychelles
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Carballo-Bolaños R, Wei Y, Denis V. Coral transplantation in urban environments: Insights from colony survival and growth on artificial frames versus the seabed. Mar Environ Res 2024; 194:106319. [PMID: 38211473 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Urban and green transitions require infrastructures that can cause pressure on coastal ecosystems. In northern Taiwan, plans to convert an oil-fired power plant to gas would necessitate a port terminal construction, threatening nearby corals and marine life. To mitigate construction impacts, the relocation of affected corals was proposed. We conducted a transplantation study, prior to such a large-scale coral relocation, to assess its feasibility and to identify potential risks associated with the marginal location of northern Taiwan for tropical corals. Five coral species, representative of the different ecological strategies, were selected. We used two methods (artificial frames and seabed cementation) to transplant 246 colony fragments to two pre-selected sites. Over a year, we monitored fragment survival and growth, in parallel with environmental conditions. We found that survival and growth were significantly influenced by transplantation methods, sites, and species. The difference between methods revealed biotic (predation by corallivorous snails) and abiotic (mechanical damage by waves) factors affecting coral survival and growth. Acropora species exhibited high growth, but also high mortality, consistent with their known ecology. Other species presented slower growth but higher survival. One site provided a better environment for corals, which we attributed to topography and reduced exposure. Overall, this study provides interesting insights into relocating corals in a high-latitude and urban coral ecosystem, highlighting risks related to mechanical damages and predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Carballo-Bolaños
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan; Ocean Center, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan.
| | - Yi Wei
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan; Ocean Center, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Vianney Denis
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan; Ocean Center, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City, 10617, Taiwan.
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3
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Toth LT, Storlazzi CD, Kuffner IB, Quataert E, Reyns J, McCall R, Stathakopoulos A, Hillis-Starr Z, Holloway NH, Ewen KA, Pollock CG, Code T, Aronson RB. The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2313. [PMID: 37085476 PMCID: PMC10121583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37858-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of reefs to protect coastlines from storm-driven flooding hinges on their capacity to keep pace with sea-level rise. Here, we show how and whether coral restoration could achieve the often-cited goal of reversing the impacts of coral-reef degradation to preserve this essential function. We combined coral-growth measurements and carbonate-budget assessments of reef-accretion potential at Buck Island Reef, U.S. Virgin Islands, with hydrodynamic modeling to quantify future coastal flooding under various coral-restoration, sea-level rise, and storm scenarios. Our results provide guidance on how restoration of Acropora palmata, if successful, could mitigate the most extreme impacts of coastal flooding by reversing projected trajectories of reef erosion and allowing reefs to keep pace with the ~0.5 m of sea-level rise expected by 2100 with moderate carbon-emissions reductions. This highlights the potential long-term benefits of pursuing coral-reef restoration alongside climate-change mitigation to support the persistence of essential coral-reef ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Toth
- U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL, USA.
| | - Curt D Storlazzi
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Ilsa B Kuffner
- U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | | | - Johan Reyns
- Deltares, Delft, Netherlands
- IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tessa Code
- National Park Service, Christiansted, VI, USA
| | - Richard B Aronson
- Florida Institute of Technology, Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences, Melbourne, FL, USA
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Tedesco AM, Brancalion PHS, Hepburn MLH, Walji K, Wilson KA, Possingham HP, Dean AJ, Nugent N, Elias-Trostmann K, Perez-Hammerle KV, Rhodes JR. The role of incentive mechanisms in promoting forest restoration. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210088. [PMID: 36373914 PMCID: PMC9661954 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest restoration has been proposed as a scalable nature-based solution to achieve global environmental and socio-economic outcomes and is central to many policy initiatives, such as the Bonn Challenge. Restored forests contain appreciable biodiversity, improve habitat connectivity and sequester carbon. Incentive mechanisms (e.g. payments for ecosystem services and allocation of management rights) have been a focus of forest restoration efforts for decades. Yet, there is still little understanding of their role in promoting restoration success. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate how incentive mechanisms are used to promote forest restoration, outcomes, and the biophysical and socio-economic factors that influence implementation and program success. We found that socio-economic factors, such as governance, monitoring systems and the experience and beliefs of participants, dominate whether or not an incentive mechanism is successful. We found that approximately half of the studies report both positive ecological and socio-economic outcomes. However, reported adverse outcomes were more commonly socio-economic than ecological. Our results reveal that achieving forest restoration at a sufficient scale to meet international commitments will require stronger assessment and management of socio-economic factors that enable or constrain the success of incentive mechanisms. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anazelia M. Tedesco
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia,Centre for the Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Pedro H. S. Brancalion
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Michelle L. Hak Hepburn
- Department of Anthropology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Khalil Walji
- Forestry Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00153, Italy,World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), United Nations Avenue, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya
| | - Kerrie A. Wilson
- Centre for the Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Angela J. Dean
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
| | - Nick Nugent
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Katerina Elias-Trostmann
- BNP Paribas, Katerina Elias-Trostmann, Sustainability and ESG, BNP Paribas, Avenida Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek, 1909, Sao Paulo 04543-907, Brazil
| | - Katharina-Victoria Perez-Hammerle
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jonathan R. Rhodes
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Harrell C, Lirman D. Dictyota defense: Developing effective chemical protection against intense fish predation for outplanted massive corals. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14995. [PMID: 36915655 PMCID: PMC10007969 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The incorporation of coral species with massive (e.g., boulder, brain) morphologies into reef restoration is critical to sustain biodiversity and increase coral cover on degraded reef ecosystems. However, fragments and colonies of massive corals outplanted in Miami-Dade County, Florida, US, can experience intense predation by fish within the first week of outplanting, resulting in >70% mortality. Here, we tested for the first time the potential benefit of feeding corals powdered Dictyota, a brown reef alga that is chemically defended against grazing, to determine if exposure to Dictyota can confer chemical protection to coral fragments and reduce the impacts of fish predation after outplanting. We found that feeding corals every 2 to 3 days for 2 months with dried and powdered Dictyota prior to outplanting significantly reduced predation levels on Orbicella faveolata and Montastraea cavernosa fragments (with less than 20% of the fragments experiencing predation up to 1-month post-outplanting). We also found that a single exposure to Dictyota at a high concentration 1 to 2 days prior to outplanting significantly reduced predation for six coral species within the first 24 h following outplanting. Thus, feeding corals dry Dictyota ex situ prior to outplanting appears to confer protection from fish predation during the critical first days to weeks after outplanting when predation impacts are commonly high. This simple and cheap method can be easily scaled up for corals kept ex situ prior to outplanting, resulting in an increase in restoration efficiency for massive corals in areas with high fish predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cailin Harrell
- Department of Marine Biology & Ecology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Diego Lirman
- Department of Marine Biology & Ecology, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States
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McLeod IM, Hein MY, Babcock R, Bay L, Bourne DG, Cook N, Doropoulos C, Gibbs M, Harrison P, Lockie S, van Oppen MJH, Mattocks N, Page CA, Randall CJ, Smith A, Smith HA, Suggett DJ, Taylor B, Vella KJ, Wachenfeld D, Boström-Einarsson L. Coral restoration and adaptation in Australia: The first five years. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273325. [PMID: 36449458 PMCID: PMC9710771 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
While coral reefs in Australia have historically been a showcase of conventional management informed by research, recent declines in coral cover have triggered efforts to innovate and integrate intervention and restoration actions into management frameworks. Here we outline the multi-faceted intervention approaches that have developed in Australia since 2017, from newly implemented in-water programs, research to enhance coral resilience and investigations into socio-economic perspectives on restoration goals. We describe in-water projects using coral gardening, substrate stabilisation, coral repositioning, macro-algae removal, and larval-based restoration techniques. Three areas of research focus are also presented to illustrate the breadth of Australian research on coral restoration, (1) the transdisciplinary Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), one of the world's largest research and development programs focused on coral reefs, (2) interventions to enhance coral performance under climate change, and (3) research into socio-cultural perspectives. Together, these projects and the recent research focus reflect an increasing urgency for action to confront the coral reef crisis, develop new and additional tools to manage coral reefs, and the consequent increase in funding opportunities and management appetite for implementation. The rapid progress in trialling and deploying coral restoration in Australia builds on decades of overseas experience, and advances in research and development are showing positive signs that coral restoration can be a valuable tool to improve resilience at local scales (i.e., high early survival rates across a variety of methods and coral species, strong community engagement with local stakeholders). RRAP is focused on creating interventions to help coral reefs at multiple scales, from micro scales (i.e., interventions targeting small areas within a specific reef site) to large scales (i.e., interventions targeting core ecosystem function and social-economic values at multiple select sites across the Great Barrier Reef) to resist, adapt to and recover from the impacts of climate change. None of these interventions aim to single-handedly restore the entirety of the Great Barrier Reef, nor do they negate the importance of urgent climate change mitigation action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M. McLeod
- TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Margaux Y. Hein
- TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- MER Research and Consulting, The Office, Monaco, Monaco
- * E-mail:
| | - Russ Babcock
- CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Line Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - David G. Bourne
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Nathan Cook
- TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Reef Ecologic, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Mark Gibbs
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter Harrison
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stewart Lockie
- The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Neil Mattocks
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Cathie A. Page
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Carly J. Randall
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Adam Smith
- TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Reef Ecologic, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hillary A. Smith
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David J. Suggett
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bruce Taylor
- Land & Water, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karen J. Vella
- School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David Wachenfeld
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lisa Boström-Einarsson
- TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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DeFilippo LB, McManus LC, Schindler DE, Pinsky ML, Colton MA, Fox HE, Tekwa EW, Palumbi SR, Essington TE, Webster MM. Assessing the potential for demographic restoration and assisted evolution to build climate resilience in coral reefs. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2650. [PMID: 35538738 PMCID: PMC9788104 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Interest is growing in developing conservation strategies to restore and maintain coral reef ecosystems in the face of mounting anthropogenic stressors, particularly climate warming and associated mass bleaching events. One such approach is to propagate coral colonies ex situ and transplant them to degraded reef areas to augment habitat for reef-dependent fauna, prevent colonization from spatial competitors, and enhance coral reproductive output. In addition to such "demographic restoration" efforts, manipulating the thermal tolerance of outplanted colonies through assisted relocation, selective breeding, or genetic engineering is being considered for enhancing rates of evolutionary adaptation to warming. Although research into such "assisted evolution" strategies has been growing, their expected performance remains unclear. We evaluated the potential outcomes of demographic restoration and assisted evolution in climate change scenarios using an eco-evolutionary simulation model. We found that supplementing reefs with pre-existing genotypes (demographic restoration) offers little climate resilience benefits unless input levels are large and maintained for centuries. Supplementation with thermally resistant colonies was successful at improving coral cover at lower input levels, but only if maintained for at least a century. Overall, we found that, although demographic restoration and assisted evolution have the potential to improve long-term coral cover, both approaches had a limited impact in preventing severe declines under climate change scenarios. Conversely, with sufficient natural genetic variance and time, corals could readily adapt to warming temperatures, suggesting that restoration approaches focused on building genetic variance may outperform those based solely on introducing heat-tolerant genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas B. DeFilippo
- School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
- Present address:
Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering DivisionNOAA Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Lisa C. McManus
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural ResourcesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine BiologyUniversity of Hawaiʻi at ManoaKaneʻoheHawaiiUSA
| | - Daniel E. Schindler
- School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Malin L. Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural ResourcesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | | | | | - E. W. Tekwa
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural ResourcesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Stephen R. Palumbi
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
| | - Timothy E. Essington
- School of Aquatic and Fishery SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Michael M. Webster
- Department of Environmental StudiesNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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Lewis DM, Vardi T, Maher RL, Correa AM, Cook GS. Predicting shifts in demography of Orbicella franksi following simulated disturbance and restoration. Ecol Modell 2022; 472:110104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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9
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Dehnert I, Galli P, Montano S. Ecological impacts of coral gardening outplanting in the Maldives. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- I Dehnert
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT) University of Milan – Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 20126 Milan Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll Republic of Maldives
| | - P Galli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT) University of Milan – Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 20126 Milan Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll Republic of Maldives
| | - S Montano
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT) University of Milan – Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 20126 Milan Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo Island, Faafu Atoll Republic of Maldives
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Eger AM, Marzinelli EM, Christie H, Fagerli CW, Fujita D, Gonzalez AP, Hong SW, Kim JH, Lee LC, McHugh TA, Nishihara GN, Tatsumi M, Steinberg PD, Vergés A. Global kelp forest restoration: past lessons, present status, and future directions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1449-1475. [PMID: 35255531 PMCID: PMC9543053 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Kelp forest ecosystems and their associated ecosystem services are declining around the world. In response, marine managers are working to restore and counteract these declines. Kelp restoration first started in the 1700s in Japan and since then has spread across the globe. Restoration efforts, however, have been largely disconnected, with varying methodologies trialled by different actors in different countries. Moreover, a small subset of these efforts are 'afforestation', which focuses on creating new kelp habitat, as opposed to restoring kelp where it previously existed. To distil lessons learned over the last 300 years of kelp restoration, we review the history of kelp restoration (including afforestation) around the world and synthesise the results of 259 documented restoration attempts spanning from 1957 to 2020, across 16 countries, five languages, and multiple user groups. Our results show that kelp restoration projects have increased in frequency, have employed 10 different methodologies and targeted 17 different kelp genera. Of these projects, the majority have been led by academics (62%), have been conducted at sizes of less than 1 ha (80%) and took place over time spans of less than 2 years. We show that projects are most successful when they are located near existing kelp forests. Further, disturbance events such as sea-urchin grazing are identified as regular causes of project failure. Costs for restoration are historically high, averaging hundreds of thousands of dollars per hectare, therefore we explore avenues to reduce these costs and suggest financial and legal pathways for scaling up future restoration efforts. One key suggestion is the creation of a living database which serves as a platform for recording restoration projects, showcasing and/or re-analysing existing data, and providing updated information. Our work establishes the groundwork to provide adaptive and relevant recommendations on best practices for kelp restoration projects today and into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M. Eger
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation & Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of New South WalesSydneyNSW2052
| | - Ezequiel M. Marzinelli
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental SciencesSydneyNSW2006Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science19 Chowder Bay RdMosmanNSW2088Australia
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences EngineeringNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore637551Singapore
| | - Hartvig Christie
- Norwegian Institute for Water ResearchØkernveien 94Oslo0579Norway
| | | | - Daisuke Fujita
- University of Tokyo Marine Science and Technology, School of Marine Bioresources, Applied PhycologyKonan, Minato‐kuTokyo108‐8477Japan
| | - Alejandra P. Gonzalez
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileLas Palmeras 3425, ÑuñoaSantiagoChile
| | - Seok Woo Hong
- Department of Biological SciencesSungkyunkwan UniversitySuwon2066South Korea
| | - Jeong Ha Kim
- Department of Biological SciencesSungkyunkwan UniversitySuwon2066South Korea
| | - Lynn C. Lee
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site60 Second Beach Road, SkidegateHaida GwaiiBCV0T 1S1Canada
- Canada & School of Environmental Sciences, University of Victoria3800 Finnerty RoadVictoriaBCV8P 5C2Canada
| | - Tristin Anoush McHugh
- Reef Check Foundation, Long Marine Laboratory115 McAllister RoadSanta CruzCA95060U.S.A.
- Present address:
The Nature Conservancy830 S StreetSacramentoCA95811U.S.A.
| | - Gregory N. Nishihara
- Organization for Marine Science and TechnologyInstitute for East China Sea Research, Nagasaki University1551‐7 Taira‐machiNagasaki City851‐2213Japan
| | - Masayuki Tatsumi
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of TasmaniaHobartTAS7004Australia
| | - Peter D. Steinberg
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation & Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of New South WalesSydneyNSW2052
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science19 Chowder Bay RdMosmanNSW2088Australia
| | - Adriana Vergés
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation & Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of New South WalesSydneyNSW2052
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science19 Chowder Bay RdMosmanNSW2088Australia
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Devlin MJ. Coral reefs: The good and not so good news with future bright and dark spots for coral reefs through climate change. Glob Chang Biol 2022; 28:4506-4508. [PMID: 35593317 PMCID: PMC9327719 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
COMMENTARY ON Present and future bright and dark spots for coral reefs through climate change. This is a commentary on Sully et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16083
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12
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Barnett J, Jarillo S, Swearer SE, Lovelock CE, Pomeroy A, Konlechner T, Waters E, Morris RL, Lowe R. Nature-based solutions for atoll habitability. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210124. [PMID: 35574851 PMCID: PMC9108937 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Atoll societies have adapted their environments and social systems for thousands of years, but the rapid pace of climate change may bring conditions that exceed their adaptive capacities. There is growing interest in the use of ‘nature-based solutions' to facilitate the continuation of dignified and meaningful lives on atolls through a changing climate. However, there remains insufficient evidence to conclude that these can make a significant contribution to adaptation on atolls, let alone to develop standards and guidelines for their implementation. A sustained programme of research to clarify the potential of nature-based solutions to support the habitability of atolls is therefore vital. In this paper, we provide a prospectus to guide this research programme: we explain the challenge climate change poses to atoll societies, discuss past and potential future applications of nature-based solutions and outline an agenda for transdisciplinary research to advance knowledge of the efficacy and feasibility of nature-based solutions to sustain the habitability of atolls. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Nurturing resilient marine ecosystems’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Barnett
- Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Sergio Jarillo
- Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Stephen E Swearer
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Catherine E Lovelock
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Andrew Pomeroy
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Teresa Konlechner
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.,Wildlife Consultants Ltd, 7A Vulcan Place, Middleton, Christchurch 8024, New Zealand
| | - Elissa Waters
- Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Rebecca L Morris
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Ryan Lowe
- Oceans Graduate School, and School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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13
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Brathwaite A, Clua E, Roach R, Pascal N. Coral reef restoration for coastal protection: Crafting technical and financial solutions. J Environ Manage 2022; 310:114718. [PMID: 35192980 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Coastal erosion, aggravated by coral reef mortality is a major issue for Small Island Developing States. Traditionally gray infrastructure, financed by public budgets has been used to combat beach loss. We examined if three Nature-based Solutions (NbS): (i) coral restoration (green) (ii) restoration + limestone (hybrid) and (iii) restoration + 3D printed concrete (hybrid) could deliver positive outcomes for coastal protection and further incentivize cost sharing for reef conservation, with private beneficiaries. We modelled the impact of restoration on wave attenuation at two reefs off Barbados and simulated up-front and maintenance costs over a 25-year period. All solutions provide additionality when compared to gray infrastructure, especially in mitigating against Sea Level Rise. Restoration was the least costly with the highest risk of failure. The hybrid solutions, were less risky than the green as they provided immediate wave attenuation, alongside complementary services such as increased attractiveness due to the presence of reef fish. Their costs were however between +80% and +450% higher than gray solutions. While this might initially deter the use of NbS, blended finance and in some cases, Payments for Ecosystem Services, could provide options for governments and private beneficiaries to share costs, with ultimately greater benefits for themselves and coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelique Brathwaite
- Blue Finance ECRE (Economics for Coral Reef Ecosystems), Foster Hall, Barbados; CRIOBE - USR 3278: PSL Université Paris: EPHE-CNRS-UPVD: Bâtiment R et T, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan CEDEX, France.
| | - Eric Clua
- CRIOBE - USR 3278: PSL Université Paris: EPHE-CNRS-UPVD: Bâtiment R et T, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan CEDEX, France; Centre de Recherche Insulaire et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE), Moorea, French Polynesia.
| | - Ramon Roach
- Coastal Zone Management Unit, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Warrens Tower II, St. Michael, Barbados.
| | - Nicolas Pascal
- Blue Finance ECRE (Economics for Coral Reef Ecosystems), Foster Hall, Barbados; CRIOBE - USR 3278: PSL Université Paris: EPHE-CNRS-UPVD: Bâtiment R et T, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan CEDEX, France.
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14
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Medina-Valmaseda AE, Blanchon P, Alvarez-Filip L, Pérez-Cervantes E. Geomorphically controlled coral distribution in degraded shallow reefs of the Western Caribbean. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12590. [PMID: 35310164 PMCID: PMC8929170 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of coral reefs results from the interaction between ecological and geological processes in space and time. Their difference in scale, however, makes it difficult to detect the impact of ecological changes on geological reef development. The decline of coral cover over the last 50 years, for example, has dramatically impaired the function of ecological processes on reefs. Yet given the limited-resolution of their Holocene record, it is uncertain how this will impact accretion and structural integrity over longer timescales. In addition, reports of this ecological decline have focused on intrinsic parameters such as coral cover and colony size at the expense of extrinsic ones such as geomorphic and environmental variables. Despite these problems, several attempts have been made to predict the long-term accretion status of reefs based entirely on the contemporary health status of benthic communities. Here we explore how this ecological decline is represented within the reef geomorphic structure, which represents the long-term expression of reef development. Using a detailed geomorphic zonation scheme, we analyze the distribution and biodiversity of reef-building corals in fringing-reef systems of the Mesoamerican Reef tract. We find a depth-related pattern in community structure which shows that the relative species distribution between geomorphic zones is statistically different. Despite these differences, contemporary coral assemblages in all zones are dominated by the same group of pioneer generalist species. These findings imply that first, coral species distribution is still controlled by extrinsic processes that generate the geomorphic zonation; second, that coral biodiversity still reflects species zonation patterns reported by early studies; and third that dominance of pioneer species implies that modern coral assemblages are in a prolonged post-disturbance adjustment stage. In conclusion, any accurate assessment of the future viability of reefs requires a consideration of the geomorphic context or risks miscalculating the impact of ecological changes on long-term reef development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Enrique Medina-Valmaseda
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico,Reef Geoscience Group, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Paul Blanchon
- Reef Geoscience Group, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Esmeralda Pérez-Cervantes
- Biodiversity and Reef Conservation Laboratory, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Instituto de Ciencias de Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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15
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Montano S, Dehnert I, Seveso D, Maggioni D, Montalbetti E, Strona G, Siena F, Amir H, Antoine A, Marino‐Ramirez C, Saponari L, Shah NJ, Azcarate Molina R, Alegria Ortega A, Galli P, Montoya‐Maya PH. Effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the management of coral restoration projects. Restor Ecol 2022; 30:e13646. [PMID: 35603134 PMCID: PMC9115428 DOI: 10.1111/rec.13646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Coral restoration initiatives are gaining significant momentum in a global effort to enhance the recovery of degraded coral reefs. However, the implementation and upkeep of coral nurseries are particularly demanding, so that unforeseen breaks in maintenance operations might jeopardize well-established projects. In the last 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary yet prolonged abandonment of several coral gardening infrastructures worldwide, including remote localities. Here we provide a first assessment of the potential impacts of monitoring and maintenance breakdown in a suite of coral restoration projects (based on floating rope nurseries) in Colombia, Seychelles, and Maldives. Our study comprises nine nurseries from six locations, hosting a total of 3,554 fragments belonging to three coral genera, that were left unsupervised for a period spanning from 29 to 61 weeks. Floating nursery structures experienced various levels of damage, and total fragment survival spanned from 40 to 95% among projects, with Pocillopora showing the highest survival rate in all locations present. Overall, our study shows that, under certain conditions, abandoned coral nurseries can remain functional for several months without suffering critical failure from biofouling and hydrodynamism. Still, even where gardening infrastructures were only marginally affected, the unavoidable interruptions in data collection have slowed down ongoing project progress, diminishing previous investments and reducing future funding opportunities. These results highlight the need to increase the resilience and self-sufficiency of coral restoration projects, so that the next global lockdown will not further shrink the increasing efforts to prevent coral reefs from disappearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Montano
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Inga Dehnert
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Davide Seveso
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Davide Maggioni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Enrico Montalbetti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Giovanni Strona
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Federica Siena
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
| | - Hana Amir
- Maldives Marine Research InstituteH. White Waves, Moonlight HigunK. Male’Republic of Maldives
| | - Athina Antoine
- Nature SeychellesThe Centre for Environment & Education Roche CaimanMaheRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Camila Marino‐Ramirez
- Nature SeychellesThe Centre for Environment & Education Roche CaimanMaheRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Luca Saponari
- Nature SeychellesThe Centre for Environment & Education Roche CaimanMaheRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Nirmal J. Shah
- Nature SeychellesThe Centre for Environment & Education Roche CaimanMaheRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Ruben Azcarate Molina
- Corporación para el Desarrollo Sostenible del Archipiélago De San AndrésProvidencia y Santa Catalina (CORALINA)San AndrésColombia
| | | | - Paolo Galli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT)University of Milan – BicoccaPiazza della Scienza, MilanItaly
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center)Magoodhoo Island, Faafu AtollRepublic of Maldives
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16
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Higgins E, Metaxas A, Scheibling RE. A systematic review of artificial reefs as platforms for coral reef research and conservation. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0261964. [PMID: 35061746 PMCID: PMC8782470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial reefs (ARs) have been used on coral reefs for ecological research, conservation, and socio-cultural purposes since the 1980s. We examined spatio-temporal patterns in AR deployment in tropical and subtropical coral reefs (up to 35° latitude) and evaluated their efficacy in meeting conservation objectives, using a systematic review of the scientific literature. Most deployments (136 studies) were in the North Atlantic and Central Indo-Pacific in 1980s – 2000s, with a pronounced shift to the Western Indo-Pacific in 2010s. Use of ARs in reef restoration or stressor mitigation increased markedly in response to accelerating coral decline over the last 2 decades. Studies that evaluated success in meeting conservation objectives (n = 51) commonly reported increasing fish abundance (55%), enhancing habitat quantity (31%) or coral cover (27%), and conserving target species (24%). Other objectives included stressor mitigation (22%), provision of coral nursery habitat (14%) or source populations (2%) and addressing socio-cultural and economic values (16%). Fish (55% of studies) and coral (53%) were the most commonly monitored taxa. Success in achieving conservation objectives was reported in 33 studies. Success rates were highest for provision of nursery habitat and increasing coral cover (each 71%). Increasing fish abundance or habitat quantity, mitigating environmental impacts, and attaining socio-cultural objectives were moderately successful (60–64%); conservation of target species was the least successful (42%). Failure in achieving objectives commonly was attributed to poor AR design or disruption by large-scale bleaching events. The scale of ARs generally was too small (m2 –10s m2) to address regional losses in coral cover, and study duration too short (< 5 years) to adequately assess ecologically relevant trends in coral cover and community composition. ARs are mostly likely to aid in reef conservation and restoration by providing nursery habitat for target species or recruitment substrate for corals and other organisms. Promoting local socio-cultural values also has potential for regional or global impact by increasing awareness of coral reef decline, if prioritized and properly monitored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Higgins
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Anna Metaxas
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- * E-mail:
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17
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Chen W, Wallhead P, Hynes S, Groeneveld R, O'Connor E, Gambi C, Danovaro R, Tinch R, Papadopoulou N, Smith C. Ecosystem service benefits and costs of deep-sea ecosystem restoration. J Environ Manage 2022; 303:114127. [PMID: 34838382 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Deep-sea ecosystems are facing degradation which could have severe consequences for biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal populations. Ecosystem restoration as a natural based solution has been regarded as a useful means to recover ecosystems. The study provides a social cost-benefit analysis for a proposed project to restore the Dohrn Canyon cold water corals and the deep-sea ecosystem in the Bay of Naples, Italy. By incorporating ecosystem service benefits and uncertainties related to a complex natural-technological-social system surrounding restoration activities, the study demonstrated how to evaluate large-scale ecosystem restoration activities. The results indicate that an ecosystem restoration project can be economic (in terms of welfare improvement) even if the restoration costs are high. Our study shows the uncertainty associated with restoration success rate significantly affects the probability distribution of the expected net present values. Identifying and controlling the underlying factors to improve the restoration successful rate is thus crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stephen Hynes
- SEMRU (Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit), Whitaker Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Rolf Groeneveld
- Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
| | - Eamon O'Connor
- SEMRU (Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit), Whitaker Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Cristina Gambi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy
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18
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Sheaves M, Waltham NJ, Benham C, Bradley M, Mattone C, Diedrich A, Sheaves J, Sheaves A, Hernandez S, Dale P, Banhalmi-Zakar Z, Newlands M. Restoration of marine ecosystems: Understanding possible futures for optimal outcomes. Sci Total Environ 2021; 796:148845. [PMID: 34274664 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Accelerating declines in the extent, quality and functioning of the world's marine ecosystems have generated an upsurge in focus on practical solutions, with ecosystem restoration becoming an increasingly attractive mitigation strategy for systems as diverse as coral reefs, mangroves and tidal flats. While restoration is popular because it promises positive outcomes and a return to something approaching unimpacted condition and functioning, it involves substantial public and private investment, both for the initial restoration activity and for on-going maintenance of the restored asset. This investment often affords one big chance to get things right before irretrievable damage is done. As a result, precise, well considered and accountable decision-making is needed to determine the specific focus for restoration, the scale of restoration, the location for deploying restoration activities, and indeed whether or not restoration is necessary or even possible. We explore the environmental/ecological considerations and constraints governing optimal decisions about the nature, location and prioritisation of restoration activities in marine ecosystems, and in particular the constraints on achieving understanding of possible futures and the likelihood of achieving them. We conclude that action must be informed by a context-specific understanding of the historical situation, the current situation, the constraints on change, the range of potential outcome scenarios, and the potential futures envisioned.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sheaves
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia.
| | - N J Waltham
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - C Benham
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
| | - M Bradley
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - C Mattone
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - A Diedrich
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - J Sheaves
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - A Sheaves
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - S Hernandez
- Marine Data Technology Hub, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - P Dale
- School of Environment and Science, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4011, Australia
| | - Z Banhalmi-Zakar
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - M Newlands
- College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Queensland 4811, Australia
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Ferrari R, Lachs L, Pygas DR, Humanes A, Sommer B, Figueira WF, Edwards AJ, Bythell JC, Guest JR. Photogrammetry as a tool to improve ecosystem restoration. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:1093-1101. [PMID: 34404550 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Ecosystem restoration has been practiced for over a century and is increasingly supported by the emergent applied science of restoration ecology. A prerequisite for successful ecosystem restoration is determining meaningful and measurable goals. This requires tools to monitor success in a standardized way. Photogrammetry uses images to reconstruct landscapes and organisms in three dimensions, enabling non-invasive measurement of key success indicators with unprecedented accuracy. We propose photogrammetry can improve restoration success by: (i) facilitating measurable goals; (ii) innovating and standardizing indicators of success; and (iii) standardizing monitoring. While the case we present is specific to coral reefs, photogrammetry has enormous potential to improve restoration practice in a wide range of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Ferrari
- Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia.
| | - Liam Lachs
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Daniel R Pygas
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Adriana Humanes
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Brigitte Sommer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Will F Figueira
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Alasdair J Edwards
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - John C Bythell
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - James R Guest
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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20
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Botta R, Borsum JS, Camp EV, Court CD, Frederick P. Short‐term economic impacts of ecological restoration in estuarine and coastal environments: a case study of Lone Cabbage Reef. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Botta
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida 103 Black Hall, PO Box 116455 Gainesville FL 32611 U.S.A
| | - J. Scott Borsum
- School of Natural Resources and Environment University of Florida 103 Black Hall, PO Box 116455 Gainesville FL 32611 U.S.A
| | - Edward V. Camp
- Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville FL 33701 U.S.A
| | - Christa D. Court
- Food and Resource Economics Department University of Florida 1123 McCarty Hall B PO Box 110240 Gainesville FL 32611 U.S.A
| | - Peter Frederick
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida 110 Newins‐Ziegler Hall Gainesville FL 32611 U.S.A
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21
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Ferse SCA, Hein MY, Rölfer L. A survey of current trends and suggested future directions in coral transplantation for reef restoration. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249966. [PMID: 33939716 PMCID: PMC8092780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral transplantation has been used in reef restoration for several decades, but information on the type of projects, their scope, scale, and success is mostly limited to published scientific studies and technical reports. Many practitioners do not have the capacity to share their progress in peer-reviewed literature, yet likely have a wealth of information to share on how to improve the efficiency of transplantation efforts. In order to incorporate non-published data on coral transplantation projects and gain an overview of the general features of these projects, we conducted an initial systematic online survey of projects run by various practitioners. Surveyed projects (n = 50) covered most of the tropical belt and ranged in size from a few hundred transplanted corals to >5000 transplants. The most frequent source of coral fragments were corals already broken from some previous impact (“corals of opportunity”; 58% of projects), followed by fragments stored in different types of aquaculture systems (42% of projects). The use of sexual reproduction was very limited. Fast-growing, branching corals were used in 96% of projects, being by far the most common transplanted growth form. About half of the projects mentioned undertaking maintenance of the transplantation plots. The majority of projects undertook subsequent monitoring (80%), yet the available data indicates that duration of monitoring efforts was not adequate to evaluate long-term success. The findings underline that while some general principles for successful coral restoration projects are reasonably well established, others need to be mainstreamed better in order to improve the effectiveness of coral transplantation for reef restoration. This relates in particular to sustainable funding, adequate site assessment, and long-term monitoring using established protocols. Additional information is needed to better understand and address potential challenges with regards to the sourcing of transplants and use of slow-growing species. A better integration of practitioners is necessary to improve the understanding of coral transplantation effectiveness. The results underline a need to develop and use monitoring protocols that allow gauging and comparing the effectiveness of coral transplantation among various projects, as well as for accessible platform(s) to allow the exchange of experiences made in different projects. Regular surveys of restoration projects are recommended to collate and share information among practitioners. We provide a number of recommendations for items to include in future surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian C. A. Ferse
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology & Chemistry (FB2), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Margaux Y. Hein
- Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) Research and Consulting, Monaco
- TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lena Rölfer
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology & Chemistry (FB2), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Abstract
Abstract
Modern-day Indo-Pacific coral reefs are characterized by rapid recovery driven by pulses of coral recruitment, but Caribbean reefs exhibit low rates of recruitment and poor recovery following a wide range of disturbance events. The contrasting evolutionary history of coral taxa offers key insight into biogeographic patterns of coral resilience. Following the closure of the Isthmus of Panama approximately 2.8 million years ago, widespread extinction of Caribbean corals led to an evolutionary bottleneck that favored large and long-lived species with a relatively high reliance on asexual versus sexual reproduction. In contrast, adaptive radiation led to the evolution of superrecruiting tabular, digitate, and corymbose corals that drive the rapid recovery of modern-day Indo-Pacific reefs following disturbance. The dominance of branching growth forms and evolutionary absence of superrecruiting growth forms throughout the entire evolutionary history of the Caribbean (approximately 38 million years ago to present) may explain the exceptionally high recruitment rates on modern-day Indo-Pacific reefs and low historical recruitment on Caribbean reefs. The evolutionary history of the Caribbean coral reef-building taxa implies that, even with a reversal of ecosystem state, widespread recovery of Caribbean reefs may be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Roff
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, in St. Lucia, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawna A. Foo
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona 85287 U.S.A
| | - Gregory P. Asner
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona 85287 U.S.A
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Saunders MI, Doropoulos C, Bayraktarov E, Babcock RC, Gorman D, Eger AM, Vozzo ML, Gillies CL, Vanderklift MA, Steven AD, Bustamante RH, Silliman BR. Bright Spots in Coastal Marine Ecosystem Restoration. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R1500-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Abstract
The escalating rate at which coral communities are declining globally requires urgent intervention and new approaches to reef management to reduce and halt further coral loss. For reef systems with limited natural larval supply, the introduction of large numbers of competent coral larvae directly to natural reef substrata provides a potentially useful approach to replenish adult coral populations. While few experiments have tested this approach, only one experiment has demonstrated its long-term success to date. Given the differences in life-history traits among corals, and different sensitivities of larvae to abiotic and biotic factors, coupled with the dynamic nature of post-settlement survivorship and recruitment processes, trials of the larval enhancement technique with larvae of different coral species are needed to test the broader applicability and viability of this approach. Accordingly, in this paper we examine the applicability of the larval enhancement technique to restore a population of Acropora loripes in the Bolinao-Anda Reef Complex, Pangasinan, northwestern Philippines. Larvae were cultured ex situ following spawning of collected A. loripes colonies in June 2014. Competent larvae were transported to degraded reef areas and approximately 300,000 larvae were introduced in each of three 6 × 4 m plots directly on the reef. Fine mesh enclosures retained the larvae inside each treatment plot for five days. Three adjacent 6 × 4 m plots that served as controls were also covered with mesh enclosures, but no larvae were introduced. Each plot contained ten 10 × 10 cm conditioned settlement tiles cut from dead tabulate Acropora that were used to quantify initial larval settlement. After allowing larval settlement for five days, mean settlement on tiles from the larval enhancement plots that were monitored under stereomicroscopes was significantly higher (27.8 ± 6.7 spat per tile) than in control plots, in which not a single recruit was recorded. Post-settlement survivorship and growth of spat and coral recruits on tiles and reef substrata inside the experimental plots were monitored periodically for 35 months. After 35 months, the mean size of each of the remaining 47 A. loripes coral colonies surviving on the reef substrata was 438.1 ± 5.4 cm3, with a mean diameter of 7.9 ± 0.6 cm. The average production cost for each of the surviving A. loripes colonies at 35 months was USD 35.20. These colonies are expected to spawn and contribute to the natural larval pool when they become reproductively mature, thereby enhancing natural coral recovery in the area. This study demonstrates that mass coral larval enhancement can be successfully used for restoring populations of coral species with different life-history traits, and the techniques can rapidly increase larval recruitment rates on degraded reef areas, hence catalysing the regeneration of declining coral populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dexter W. dela Cruz
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
- The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
- * E-mail:
| | - Peter L. Harrison
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
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Tortolero-Langarica JJA, Rodríguez-Troncoso AP, Cupul-Magaña AL, Rinkevich B. Micro-Fragmentation as an Effective and Applied Tool to Restore Remote Reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17:ijerph17186574. [PMID: 32916999 PMCID: PMC7558289 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are continuously degraded by anthropogenic and climate change drivers, causing a widespread decline in reef biodiversity and associated goods and services. In response, active restoration methodologies and practices have been developed globally to compensate for losses due to reef degradation. Yet, most activities employ the gardening concept that uses coral nurseries, and are centered in easily-accessible reefs, with existing infrastructure, and impractical for coral reefs in remote locations. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of direct outplanting of coral micro-fragments (Pavona clavus and Pocillopora spp.) as a novel approach to restore remote reefs in the Islas Marías archipelago in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Coral growth (height-width-tissue cover), survival percentage, extension rates (cm year−1), skeletal density (g cm−3) and calcification rates (g cm−2 year−1) were assessed over 13 months of restoration. In spite of detrimental effects of Hurricane Willa, transplants showed a greater-than-twofold increase in all growth metrics, with ~58–61% survival rate and fast self-attachment (within ~3.9 months) for studied species, with Pocilloporids exhibiting higher extension, skeletal density, and calcification rates than Pavona. While comprehensive long-term studies are required, direct transplantation methodologies of coral micro-fragments are emerging as time-effective and affordable restoration tools to mitigate anthropogenic and climate change impacts in remote and marginal reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. J. Adolfo Tortolero-Langarica
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Bahía de Banderas, Crucero a Punta de Mita S/N, Bahía de Banderas, C.P., Nayarit 63734, Mexico
- Correspondence: (J.J.A.T.-L.); (B.R.)
| | - Alma P. Rodríguez-Troncoso
- Laboratorio de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara. Av. Universidad No. 203, Puerto Vallarta, C.P., Jalisco 48280, Mexico; (A.P.R.-T.); (A.L.C.-M.)
| | - Amílcar L. Cupul-Magaña
- Laboratorio de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara. Av. Universidad No. 203, Puerto Vallarta, C.P., Jalisco 48280, Mexico; (A.P.R.-T.); (A.L.C.-M.)
| | - Baruch Rinkevich
- Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel
- Correspondence: (J.J.A.T.-L.); (B.R.)
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Bayraktarov E, Banaszak AT, Montoya Maya P, Kleypas J, Arias-González JE, Blanco M, Calle-Triviño J, Charuvi N, Cortés-Useche C, Galván V, García Salgado MA, Gnecco M, Guendulain-García SD, Hernández Delgado EA, Marín Moraga JA, Maya MF, Mendoza Quiroz S, Mercado Cervantes S, Morikawa M, Nava G, Pizarro V, Sellares-Blasco RI, Suleimán Ramos SE, Villalobos Cubero T, Villalpando MF, Frías-Torres S. Coral reef restoration efforts in Latin American countries and territories. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228477. [PMID: 32756569 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs worldwide are degrading due to climate change, overfishing, pollution, coastal development, coral bleaching, and diseases. In areas where the natural recovery of an ecosystem is negligible or protection through management interventions insufficient, active restoration becomes critical. The Reef Futures symposium in 2018 brought together over 400 reef restoration experts, businesses, and civil organizations, and galvanized them to save coral reefs through restoration or identify alternative solutions. The symposium highlighted that solutions and discoveries from long-term and ongoing coral reef restoration projects in Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Eastern Tropical Pacific were not well known internationally. Therefore, a meeting of scientists and practitioners working in these locations was held to compile the data on the extent of coral reef restoration efforts, advances and challenges. Here, we present unpublished data from 12 coral reef restoration case studies from five Latin American countries, describe their motivations and techniques used, and provide estimates on total annual project cost per unit area of reef intervened, spatial extent as well as project duration. We found that most projects used direct transplantation, the coral gardening method, micro-fragmentation or larval propagation, and aimed to optimize or scale-up restoration approaches (51%) or provide alternative, sustainable livelihood opportunities (15%) followed by promoting coral reef conservation stewardship and re-establishing a self-sustaining, functioning reef ecosystems (both 13%). Reasons for restoring coral reefs were mainly biotic and experimental (both 42%), followed by idealistic and pragmatic motivations (both 8%). The median annual total cost from all projects was $93,000 USD (range: $10,000 USD-$331,802 USD) (2018 dollars) and intervened a median spatial area of 1 ha (range: 0.06 ha-8.39 ha). The median project duration was 3 years; however, projects have lasted up to 17 years. Project feasibility was high with a median of 0.7 (range: 0.5-0.8). This study closes the knowledge gap between academia and practitioners and overcomes the language barrier by providing the first comprehensive compilation of data from ongoing coral reef restoration efforts in Latin America.
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Moriarty T, Leggat W, Huggett MJ, Ainsworth TD. Coral Disease Causes, Consequences, and Risk within Coral Restoration. Trends Microbiol 2020; 28:793-807. [PMID: 32739101 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
As a result of increased reef degradation, restoration efforts are now being widely applied on coral reefs. However, outplanted coral survival in restoration zones varies substantially, and coral mortality can be a significant limitation to the success of restoration efforts. With reef restoration now occurring within, and adjacent to, nationally preserved and managed marine parks, the potential risks of mortality events and disease spread to adjacent marine populations need to be considered, particularly as these ecosystems continue to decline. We review the causes and consequences of coral mortality and disease outbreaks within the context of coral restoration, highlighting knowledge gaps in our understanding of the restored coral microbiome and discussing management practices for assessing coral disease. We identify the need for research efforts into monitoring and diagnostics of disease within coral restoration, as well as practices to mitigate and manage coral disease risks in restoration.
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