[Coral-List] The Four Principles of Ecological Restoration

[Brodie, Jon]

Hi Sarah

The other one maybe necessary is to better manage the anthropogenic stress that led to the loss of corals in the first place (if possible). If water quality is "bad" and continues to be bad it may affect the restored coral just as adversely as it did the original coral. Solutions are available for poor water quality, "over" fishing, etc in principle but not for climate change impacts.

Cheers

Jon

Jon Brodie
Professorial Research Fellow
Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University
Townsville
Ph. +61 (0) 407127030
https://www.coralcoe.org.au/person/jon-brodie



-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> On Behalf Of Sarah Frias-Torres
Sent: Tuesday, 14 August 2018 1:35 AM
To: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Subject: [Coral-List] The Four Principles of Ecological Restoration

Dear Coral Listers

Recently, I have come upon several ill-planned coral reef restoration projects that failed. I also see newspaper interpretations on other projects that are blown out of proportion.


We must bring the coral reef restoration community together and implement a set of basic principles to guide present and future projects.


Coral reef restoration must follow the four basic principles of planning and implementation of ecological restoration in order to increase sustainable and valuable outcomes. These principles are explained in Suding et al. (2015). Below, I list the four basic principles and a direct implication for coral reef restoration labelled as CRR:

1. Restoration increases ecological integrity. Restoration initiates or accelerates recovery of degraded areas by prioritizing the complexity of biological assemblages, including species composition and representation of all functional groups, as well as the features and processes needed to sustain these biota and to support ecosystem function;

[CRR] Avoid "monocultures" unless they exist in natural conditions (i.e. Acropora thickets);  aim to restore species assemblages

2. Restoration is sustainable in the long term. Restoration aims to establish systems that are self-sustaining and resilient; thus, they must be consistent with their environmental context and landscape setting. Once a restoration project is complete, the goal should be to minimize human intervention over the long term. When intervention is required, it should be to simulate natural processes that the landscape no longer provides or to support traditional practices of local communities;

[CRR] coral reef restoration jump-starts a degraded coral reef that is beyond natural recovery. Once the intervention ends, it must be self-sustaining, i.e. the restored reef attracts new coral recruits, fish community increases, etc.

3. Restoration is informed by the past and future. Historical knowledge, in its many forms, can indicate how ecosystems functioned in the past and can provide references for identifying potential future trajectories and measuring functional and compositional success of projects. However, the unprecedented pace and spatial extent of anthropogenic changes in the present era can create conditions that depart strongly from historical trends. Often, then, history serves less as a template and more as a guide for determining appropriate restoration goals.

[CRR] this is shorthand for "don't "restore" a coral reef where there was not one to begin with.

4. Restoration benefits and engages society. Restoration focuses on recovering biodiversity and supporting the intrinsic value of nature. It also provides a suite of ecosystem services (e.g., improved water quality, fertile and stable soils, drought and flood buffering, genetic diversity, and carbon sequestration) that enhance human quality of life (e.g., clean water, food security, enhanced health, and effective governance). Restoration engages people through direct participation and, thus, increases understanding of ecosystems and their benefits and strengthens human communities.

[CRR] Meaning, don't do "helicopter science". Involve the local community as much as possible throughout the entire process.

I would add a communications principle:

5. Do not over-promise on what your project can do. Be very clear on what you are doing. A coral is not a coral is not a coral. It's not the same to outplant one breeding sized branching coral (i.e. 20 cm diameter), 20 thumb-sized fragment or 200 coral spat (< 1 cm diameter). Each coral is a at a different growth stage, has different mortality rates and different outcomes for the project. Educate journalists on the correct way of reporting your project. I know many won't listen, but it's worth the effort for those who would listen.


Reference

Suding K. and 12 authors (2015) Committing to ecological restoration . Science 348: 638-640

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6235/638


<><...<><...<><...

Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
Twitter: @GrouperDoc
Science Blog: https://grouperluna.com/
Art Blog: https://oceanbestiary.com/

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