[Coral-List] Is coral reef restoration like heart disease treatment?

[Elizabeth Sherman]

Hi coral reefers
I wonder about the efficacy/desirability of coral reef restoration
activities. Now don't jump down my throat, this is a question not a
position. This is my analogy. A cigarette smoker with heart disease is
about to die because his coronary arteries are blocked. The surgeon goes in
and roto-rooters the patient's arteries or does a by-pass, and the
patient's heart recovers and he doesn't die. But he continues to smoke so
the brand new arteries just clog right back up. Yes, we should keep the
patient alive (reef restoration) and of course, reef restoration does not
preclude other interventions, like decreasing CO2 emissions, setting aside
MPAs, limiting fishing, curtailing sediment and sewage input, etc.,
but...Does it give us a false sense that this is going to save reefs?  I
don't know. And, as others have pointed out, the media reporting on what is
important in reef conservation may not be the emphasis that scientists have.

Elizabeth


On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 9:30 AM Martin Moe via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

>
> Sarah,as you know, I have a strong interest in coral reef restoration. I’m
> not surethat what we can do, given the restraints we face, will change or
> ameliorate thefuture of coral reefs, but we must do all that we can to
> preserve all that wecan for hopefully an environmentally sustainable future
> for our planet. One thingthat worries me is that we seem to be regarding a
> coral reef... as a coralreef. Our coral reefs are not just coral reefs,
> they are coral reef ecosystems.If we just stick coral frags back into a
> failed ecosystem, how can we expect thesefrags to generate new and vibrant
> coral reefs? Not that that shouldn't be done, but there must also be some
> efforts to restore the ecology of a coral reef, at least some effort to
> identify the “keystone”species that make a coral reef an ecosystem. I’m
> sure that there has been agreat deal of research done on the components of
> a coral reef ecosystem but Idon’t see much attention paid to this in the
> efforts that have been mounted to restorecoral reefs.One of the most
> critical ecological functions on our tropical westernAtlantic coral reefs
> is herbivory. And a good possibility for the restorationof herbivory is the
> restoration to ecological functionality of the keystone herbivore,the
> Diadema antillarum sea urchin. I worked on the mass culture of Diadema
> for15 years through three generations and developed the basis for a
> functional culture system. It is noteasy but it can be done. The Florida
> Aquarium Center for Conservation hasrecently been successful in spawning
> and rearing larvae through to earlyjuveniles. And there are other efforts
> underway as well. I will soon have aDiadema culture manual completed that I
> hope will help other efforts to workwith ecological restoration as well
> coral restoration.
> Martin
>     On Friday, September 6, 2019, 09:57:17 AM EDT, Sarah Frias-Torres via
> Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
>  We invite you to submit abstracts for:
>
> Session 4: "What methods and techniques can upscale coral reef
> restoration?"
>
> Under theme 13: Interventions and restoration
>
> http://www.icrs2020.de/program/session-program/#c245
>
> We welcome abstract submissions until the extended deadline of September
> 15, 2019.
>
> Session Description:
>
> As coral reefs continue to decline worldwide, combining traditional
> conservation
>
> with active restoration is essential to support resilience in these
> threatened ecosystems.
> This session will focus both on success stories and strategies for
> upscaling restoration:
> to mass-produce bleaching-resistant reef building corals for
> transplantation onto degraded
> reefs at the scale of hectares rather than square meters. All methods of
> mass coral production
> (Propagation of sexual recruits, asexual propagation by fragmentation and
> microfragmenting)
> and transplantation will be considered, including the use of new
> technologies and automation.
> Specifically we expect presentations quantifying restoration success
> including:
> before-after-control studies of restoration impacts on benthic and fish
> communities,
> coral genomics, restoration to dissipate high energy in coastal
> environments, demographic
> monitoring in site selection, development of self sustaining thickets,
> engagement and participation
> of marginalized base communities, and case studies linking managers
> priorities with restoration
> and vice versa.
>
> Abstract submissions:
> http://www.icrs2020.de/program/call-for-abstracts/
>
>
>
> The Session Organizers
>
> Chair: Sarah Frias-Torres, Vulcan Inc. (Seattle, WA, USA)
>
> Co-Chair: Tom Moore, NOAA, USA
>
>
> <><...<><...<><...
>
> Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
> Twitter: @GrouperDoc
> Science Blog: https://grouperluna.com/
> Art Blog: https://oceanbestiary.com/
>
>
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>
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-- 
Elizabeth Sherman, Ph.D.
Biology
Bennington College
website: http://faculty.bennington.edu/~sherman/
*Save the world. Save a Coral.*