Coral reef restoration monitoring guide: Methods to evaluate restoration success from local to ecosystem scales

Goergen, Elizabeth A.; Schopmeyer, Stephanie; Moulding, Alison L.; Moura, Ana; Kramer, PA; Viehman, T. Shay

doi:10.25923/xndz-h538

Cited by 13 publications

(37 citation statements)

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“…A total of 40 AR patches were deployed and filled with coral fragments between April and November 2019. Each AR patch covered approximately 16 m 2 , resulting in a total restored reef areal dimension (sensu Goergen et al, 2020) of 640 m 2 . Four different types of AR patches were created (n = 10): Bottle patches, Cage patches, Cake patches and Compound patches combining all AR types (Figures 2B-E).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Altogether, considerations of these ecology-based processes have the potential to improve outplanting success even further (Shaver and Silliman, 2017;Ladd et al, 2018). Ultimately, monitoring at socio-ecological relevant scales will determine if reef restoration can support the recovery of coral reefs and their services and thus can be considered an effective, efficient and engaging conservation tool (McDonald et al, 2016;Goergen et al, 2020).…”

Section: Restoration Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community-managed coral reef restoration in southern Kenya initiates reef recovery using various artificial reef designs

et al. 2023

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Monitoring of reef restoration efforts and artificial reefs (ARs) has typically been limited to coral fragment survival, hampering evaluation of broader objectives such as ecosystem recovery. This study aimed to determine to what extent AR design influences the ecological recovery of restored reefs by monitoring outplanted coral fragments, benthic cover, coral recruitment and fish and invertebrate communities for two years. Four AR designs (16 m2), unrestored controls and natural reef patches as reference (n = 10) were established in Mkwiro, Kenya. ARs consisted either of concrete disks with bottles, layered concrete disks, metal cages or a combination thereof. A mixture of 18 branching coral species (mainly Acropora spp.) was outplanted on ARs at a density of 7 corals m-2. After two years, 60% of all outplanted fragments had survived, already resulting in coral cover on most ARs comparable (though Acropora-dominated) to reference patches. Coral survival differed between ARs, with highest survival on cages due to the absence of crown-of-thorns sea star predation on this design. In total, 32 coral genera recruited on ARs and recruit densities were highest on reference patches, moderate on concrete ARs and low on cages. ARs and reference patches featured nearly twice the fish species richness and around an order of magnitude higher fish abundance and biomass compared to control patches. Fish abundance and biomass strongly correlated with coral cover on ARs. AR, reference and control patches all had distinct fish species compositions, but AR and reference patches were similar in terms of trophic structure of their fish communities. Motile invertebrates including gastropods, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sea stars were present at ARs, but generally more abundant and diverse at natural reference patches. Taken together, all studied ecological parameters progressed towards reef ecosystem recovery, with varying influences of AR design and material. We recommend a combination of metal cages and layered concrete ARs to promote high fragment survival as well as natural coral recruitment. Ultimately, a longer period of monitoring is needed to fully determine the effectiveness reef restoration as conservation tool to support coral reef ecosystem recovery.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Restoration Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-managed coral reef restoration in southern Kenya initiates reef recovery using various artificial reef designs

et al. 2023

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“…New artificial substrate designs can also increase coral settlement and reduce the time and labor of deploying corals to reefs (Figure 5C), avoiding labor intensive attachment methods which account for 30% of total coral restoration costs (Chamberland et al, 2017;Sellares-Blasco et al, 2021). Projects using each of these approaches should explicitly track the numbers of adult, breeding colonies produced over time to both determine the long-term efficacy of these aquaculture techniques, and to better inform the cost/benefit trade-offs inherent in these methods (Goergen et al, 2020;Shaver et al, 2022).…”

Section: Methods For Increasing Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Culturing for conservation: the need for timely investments in reef aquaculture

et al. 2023

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Temperate oyster and tropical coral reefs are analogous systems that create habitat for economically, ecologically, and culturally important species, and they provide countless ecosystem services to human coastal communities. Globally, reefs are imperiled by multiple anthropogenic stressors, particularly climate impacts. Using aquaculture to support conservation goals - known as conservation aquaculture - is a relatively new approach for many reef building species, but it shows great promise for promoting species recovery and bolstering resilience to stressors. Concerns about aquaculture-associated risks, both known and potential, have often restricted the implementation of this tool to an emergency intervention following dramatic declines on reefs, when species or systems were unlikely to recover. Here, we combine expertise from coral and oyster reef ecosystems to consider the role of aquaculture as a conservation intervention for reefs, and provide recommendations for its timely development and targeted implementation. We highlight the importance of evaluating reef systems - alongside local stakeholders and Indigenous communities - to determine where and when the benefits of using aquaculture are most likely to outweigh the risks. We spotlight the importance of proactive monitoring to detect reef population declines, and the value of early aquaculture interventions to increase efficacy. Novel aquaculture approaches and technologies specifically designed for reef builders are considered, including techniques for building complex, multi-generational and multi-species reefs. We address the need for scaling up aquaculture-assisted reef recovery, particularly of corals, using high volume methods like those that have been successfully employed for oysters. We also recommend the immediate assessment and development of techniques to increase climate resilience of reef builders and we identify the challenges and trade-offs of these approaches. We highlight the use of proof-of-concept projects to test these promising methods, and we advise tracking of all interventions over time to determine their long-term efficacy. Finally, we outline opportunities to leverage novel partnerships among conservation, industry, and community interests that utilize aquaculture to facilitate the conservation of reefs. Developing conservation aquaculture approaches now is critical to position managers, scientists, and restoration practitioners to implement this intervention in timely and effective ways to support resilient reef and human communities worldwide.

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“…There are several ecosystem-specific marine restoration guides which could be leveraged to develop a marine RRF. There are currently guides for restoration in coral reef ecosystems (Edwards and Gomez, 2007;Goergen et al, 2020), shellfish reefs (Fitzsimons et al, 2020), seagrasses (Fonseca, 1998), mangroves (Global Mangrove Alliance, 2019), and a guide is in development for kelp forests (Eger et al, 2021). These guides provide some information on which metrics should be recorded (e.g., habitat cover, area extent, project dates) but none contain a comprehensive list across ecological, economic, and social metrics.…”

Section: What Current Opportunities Can Be Leveraged?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The need, opportunities, and challenges for creating a standardized framework for marine restoration monitoring and reporting

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Friedman

et al. 2022

Biological Conservation

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Coral reef restoration monitoring guide: Methods to evaluate restoration success from local to ecosystem scales

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Community-managed coral reef restoration in southern Kenya initiates reef recovery using various artificial reef designs

Community-managed coral reef restoration in southern Kenya initiates reef recovery using various artificial reef designs

Culturing for conservation: the need for timely investments in reef aquaculture

The need, opportunities, and challenges for creating a standardized framework for marine restoration monitoring and reporting

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