[Coral-List] Step by Step Guide to Reef Restoration

[Todd Barber]

Dear Listers,

For several years, the Reef Ball Coral Team has been working on an in-depth manual that will guide grassroots organizations, scientists and restoration professionals through a step by step process for doing reef restoration work. That manual is due to be released in the next month or two.  For those of you on this list that would like a free electronic version of this manual, please contact me with your email address and one will be emailed to you as soon as the manual is released from draft format.  The manual is over 200 pages and fully illustrated so the PDF version will be large (likely around 10 MBs) so please make sure the email address you send me can handle a file of that size.

The manual offers a comprehensive (illustrated) glossary of terms so that non-professionals can use the manual effectively.  It also reveals many of the internal tools used by Reef Ball Foundation staff members for making recommendations about projects.  For example, the manual explores the novel concept of effective protective void space [EPVS] and how to calculate it.  (EPVS is a measurement of how much protective space is provided to reef fish or other reef dwelling marine life by a particular coral head, artificial reef, or other objects in the sea).

The methods in the manual can be used in combination with a variety of artificial reef types, natural boulders or certain natural bottom types.  Following the steps will help identify which rehabilitation options are best for specific projects.  

Chapter Titles include:

Step 1: Determine Project Goals, Budget/Resources and Timeline
Step 2: Determining if it is Better to Rehabilitate An Existing Reef or Build a New Reef
Step 3: Damage Assessment.
Step 4: Site Selection
    Step 4a: Determining Sites for Surveying
    Step 4b: Bottom Survey
Step 5: Check Water Quality
Step 6: Base Substrate Creation (Artificial Reef or natural)
    Step 6a: Determine which artificial reef type or substrate type for planting coral fragments
    Step 6b: Base Modules: Number, Sizes and Layout
    Step 6c: Construction of Modules
    Step 6d: Deployment and Anchoring
Step 7: Coral Rescue
Step 8: Gathering Imperiled Corals, Fragmenting, Propagation 
Step 9: Coral Planting Strategies and Planting
Step 10: Monitoring

Glossary of Reef Ball Coral Team Terms

Also includes Reef Ball Coral Team Certification Levels, abbreviated Reef Ball construction training, Rehabilitation Ethics, and more.

The manual is the text book that will be used to train Reef Ball Coral Team members and tests derived from its content will be used as part of the certification process for participation on our rehabilitation projects.  



I hope you will be as excited about this new manual as we are, consider it a "must read" for anyone doing reef rehabilitation work.  Please contact me directly if you have any questions about the manual.  Note: Currently the manual is only available in English.

Thanks,

Todd R. Barber
Chairman, Reef Ball Foundation
3305 Edwards Court, 
Greenville, NC 27858
941-720-7549 Cell
252-353-9094 Direct
Skype Toddbarber
MSN messenger reefball at hotmail.com
reefball at reefball.com (email address)