[Coral-List] The Four Principles of Ecological Restoration

[Day Rusty]

   Hi Sarah,
   This certainly seems useful. If you can't articulate your plan and measures
   of success, it might mean you don't have much of a plan....and are unlikely
   to succeed.
   One thing that seems conspicuously absent from item # 1 is fish biomass.
   Fish biomass may not be a prerequisite for a healthy reef (or coral). And
   you  may  have  lots of some fish taxa where there aren't many corals.
   Nevertheless, fish biomass is certainly symptomatic of a healthy coral reef
   ecosystem. It's been a primary success measure for MPAs (which granted, are
   focused on fishery exclusion).
   Do you think was this not included in on an ecological basis (e.g. it's not
   a good metric compared to complexity)? Or on a more political/practical
   basis (e.g. we don't want fishermen and managers to equate restoration with
   fishing prohibition).
   Cheers,
   Rusty

     On    August    13,   2018   at   11:34   AM   Sarah   Frias-Torres
     <[1]sfrias_torres at hotmail.com> wrote:
     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
     [2]http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6235/638
     <><...<><...<><...
     Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
     Twitter: @GrouperDoc
     Science Blog: [3]https://grouperluna.com/
     Art Blog: [4]https://oceanbestiary.com/
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     [5]Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
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References

   1. mailto:sfrias_torres at hotmail.com
   2. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6235/638
   3. https://grouperluna.com/
   4. https://oceanbestiary.com/
   5. mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
   6. http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list