[Coral-List] Restoration and conservation Re: ICRS 2021 meeting session: Can Coral Reef Restoration Increase Coastal Protection?

[inilek wilmot]

Can restoration work? It's a great question.

If it works can it increase protection?

Our small NGO manages a protected area. We struggle when it comes to
funding, and we don't have the resources to run a scientifically rigorous
coral restoration program, but we've been 'planting corals' for 8 years and
we've tried to be good copycats along the way. We maintain a 2000 coral
nursery and plant about 3000 corals each year in our bay on a budget of
about $700 a month. It only works because of the passion of local fishers
who do the hands on work for the fulfilling feeling of working to give the
reef a chance. They see it as important because it is the basis of their
livelihood.

We've planted thousands of corals; thousands have died, and thousands have
lived. Was it worth it? Yes it was worth it. We've learned a lot of lessons
along the way and are getting better.

There was an article which said - every conservation project reports how
great they did and yet the problems are getting worse. It's unfortunate
that because of human nature you have to position your efforts to highlight
the good and hide the bad in order to get funding because we are so polar.
Seems a lot like politics.

As for the outlook and forecast... Maybe it's our third world mentality...
the outlook is never good. But there's this song I love  "We jus' keep
working 'til something work" - Don Husky.



On Sat, Sep 12, 2020 at 11:39 AM <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
wrote:

> Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
>         coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>         https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>         coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>         coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest...", e.g., cut and paste the
> Subject line from the individual message you are replying to. Also,
> please only include quoted text from prior posts that is necessary to
> make your point; avoid re-sending the entire Digest back to the list.
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Restoration and conservation Re: ICRS 2021 meeting
>       session: Can Coral Reef Restoration Increase Coastal Protection?
>       (frahome at yahoo.com)
>    2. Re: Reference to address necessary measures to minimize
>       environmental impact of a desalination plant (Ivan Steward)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2020 08:33:56 +0000 (UTC)
> From: "frahome at yahoo.com" <frahome at yahoo.com>
> To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Restoration and conservation Re: ICRS 2021
>         meeting session: Can Coral Reef Restoration Increase Coastal
>         Protection?
> Message-ID: <918215310.1462304.1599899636523 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
>  To me another big limit of the coral gardening approach is that of the
> huge loss of intra-species biodiversity that it implies.You only garden
> relatively few resistant (to a specific current stressor and adapted to a
> specific site) colonies while most of the colonies in nature are expected
> to die (cause they are not resistant) and with them most of the
> intra-species genetic biodiversity so important to species survival in a
> naturally and unnaturally changing, dynamic and variegated world.Why nobody
> is talking about this aspect? I thought it's very important, am I
> wrong?Francesca
>
>     On Saturday, September 12, 2020, 12:07:52 AM GMT+2, Sarah Frias-Torres
> via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
>  Doug
> The science of Ecological Restoration is well established and follows a
> set of science-based principles. I invite you to visit the Society for
> Restoration Ecology web site, which has links to standards and protocols in
> their "Resource Center" tab
> https://www.ser.org/
>
> Specifically, for coral reef restoration, what you call "planting out
> corals" is just one step in coral gardening, which is one of many
> techniques available in this scientific discipline of restoration ecology.
>
> The aim of coral reef restoration is to restore ecological function.
> Science-based projects take into account all factors, from local to global
> stressors. Unfortunately, there are many "copy-cats", people that start
> 'planting corals" without going through all the steps of a science-based
> restoration project. Whether it is blind enthusiasm attached to ignorance
> or real malice, it needs evaluation in a case by case basis.
>
> Also, to clarify a comment about funding (from a post related to this
> one), in my experience, none of the funding I have secured to implement
> coral reef restoration projects was taken away from the funding pie of
> conservation and climate change mitigation. This is not an issue of coral
> reef restoration taking away slices of the funding pie for conservation. We
> are not eating the pie and leaving our conservation colleagues hungry. We
> are making the funding pie bigger.
>
> None of the coral reef restoration scientists I work with ignores local
> and global stressors to coral reefs. None of us thinks that restoration is
> the magic pill that will save coral reefs. Restoration is one more tool in
> the toolbox of saving coral reefs.
>
> As I keep repeating over and over, to save coral reefs, conservation,
> restoration, and targeting the climate crisis must all work together.
>
> Finally, on the Titanic analogy, there was a similar comment ("rearranging
> the deck chairs ") shared at the open forum during ICRS 2016 in Hawaii,
> saying that first, we must stop burning fossil fuels, and stop climate
> change, before we even consider coral reef restoration. My answer to this
> comment was that if we take this approach, there will be no point to do
> restoration by then.
>
> The futile tug of war between pro-conservation and pro-restoration coral
> reefs scientists is nicely explained in "Coral Whisperers" by Irus
> Braverman. I strongly recommend reading this book to you and folks in
> Coral-list.
>
> This is not a conservation vs. restoration issue.
> It's not game over.
> It's game on.
> We must fight the coral reef crisis together, not against each other.
>
>
> <><...<><...<><...
>
> Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
> Twitter: @GrouperDoc
> Science Blog: https://grouperluna.com/
> Art Blog: https://oceanbestiary.com/
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf of
> Douglas Fenner via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 6:03 PM
> To: Storlazzi, Curt D <cstorlazzi at usgs.gov>
> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] ICRS 2021 meeting session: Can Coral Reef
> Restoration Increase Coastal Protection?
>
> ? Wouldn't an important aspect be how long improvements in the amount of
> live coral last??? If people plant out 10,000 corals and feel good about
> themselves, but only 100 survive more than 5 years, was it worth it??? This
> is a question which it seems to me the huge number of enthusiastic coral
> restoration people are dodging, and I think it is a critical one.? Bad
> water quality and mass coral bleaching can undo all these good efforts, and
> WILL, if we don't address them, and so far we're failing miserably at
> that.? Isn't this fad just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic???
> Cheers,? Doug
>
> On Tue, Sep 8, 2020 at 7:05 AM Storlazzi, Curt D via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > Dear colleagues:
> >
> > We would like to draw your attention to a meeting session to address:
> >
> > Can Coral Reef Restoration Increase Coastal Protection?
> >
> > at the 2021 International Coral Reef Symposium, which is being held 18-23
> > July 2021 in Bremen, Germany.
> >
> > If your work is relevant to this session please submit an abstract to
> > ICRS20-39 under Theme 13: Interventions and Restoration via the following
> > link:
> >
> > https://www.icrs2021.de/program/call-for-abstracts/
> >
> > Session Description:
> >
> > Coastal flooding and erosion affects thousands of vulnerable coastal
> > communities and has resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars in damage
> > during the past decade alone; these impacts are predicted to worsen with
> > continued population growth and climate change. There is growing
> > recognition of the role of coral reefs in coastal hazard risk reduction
> as
> > they dissipate wave energy and produce and trap sediment on adjacent
> > beaches and thus reduce flooding and erosion. Given these benefits, there
> > is the potential to apply coral reef restoration not only to meet
> > ecological recovery goals such as coral species and reef communities, but
> > also to reduce coastal hazards and build coastal resilience to current
> and
> > future storms. To meet and support these joint objectives, there must be
> > rigorous, quantitative assessments of restoration performance,
> particularly
> > for risk reduction benefits. This mini-symposium focuses on advancements
> in
> > understanding the role of coral reefs in hazard risk reduct
> >? ion, including but not limited to (i) quantifying the roles of coral
> > spacing, morphology, and attachment strength in boundary-layer
> > hydrodynamics; (ii) relating coral species morphology, structural
> > complexity, or reef location to change in hydrodynamic roughness or
> > induction of wave breaking for different environmental forcing
> conditions;
> > (iii) design and siting of reef restoration to best reduce coastal
> flooding
> > for different reef configurations; (iv) comparison of natural green and
> > hybrid gray-green infrastructure in relation to ecological and
> hydrodynamic
> > change; (v) incorporation of ecological connectivity into reef
> restoration
> > site selection; and (vi) cost-benefit analyses of restoration for coastal
> > hazard risk reduction. Summaries of current local or regional-scale
> > studies, including modeling exercises are encouraged, especially if they
> > evaluate social and economic impacts of different restoration options.
> >
> > Please visit the conference website for more information:
> >
> > https://www.icrs2021.de/program/session-program/#c245
> >
> > Abstract submission closes 15 September 2020
> >
> > For further information and all updates, please visit:
> >
> > https://www.icrs2021.de
> >
> > If you know of anyone who might be interested who might not receive this
> > notice, please feel free to pass it along.? We are very excited about
> this
> > session and look forward to your participation. If you have any
> questions,
> > please feel free to contact us. We hope to see you in Bremen!
> >
> > Organizers:
> >
> > Curt Storlazzi - USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
> > Shay Viehman - NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
> > Mike Beck - UCSC Institute of Marine Sciences
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------
> > Curt D. Storlazzi, Ph.D.
> >
> > U.S. Geological Survey
> > Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
> > 2885 Mission Street
> > Santa Cruz, CA 95060
> > (831) 295-3429 cell during COVID-19
> > https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/curt-d-storlazzi
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2020 11:28:41 +1200
> From: Ivan Steward <ivansteward at gmail.com>
> To: Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>,
>         vg.valeriegregoire at gmail.com
> Cc: Coral Listserver <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Reference to address necessary measures to
>         minimize environmental impact of a desalination plant
> Message-ID:
>         <
> CAFbTtGC5AhmZ_E_HgzhDsDh-ZLXQQvA28zHYJJT5_PCf9Szx+A at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> To add to what Dennis has mentioned, with regard to ensuring that effluent
> is ideally discharged below the thermocline - is the need to (ideally)
> assess the likelihood of any regional upwelling that may push cooler waters
> (and consequently the effluent) back toward the surface layer. So, at least
> a cursory understanding of the relevant oceanographic context is probably
> advisable.
>
> I have a fair degree of experience working on projects involving deep sea
> tailings placement (which involves siting pipelines at ~200m depths), and
> assessing the ecological effects thereof.
>
> If I can assist further please feel free to get in touch.
>
> Regards,
> Ivan
>
> On Sat, 12 Sep 2020, 06:00 Dennis Hubbard via Coral-List, <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > Hi Valerie:
> >
> > Fortunately, this is not a new topic and I THINK that the main issues are
> > well delineated. The first is more clear-cut but technically more
> > difficult. It is critical that the effluent be released below the ocean
> > thermocline (ideally 300m but probably more practically 100 meters). The
> > second is to use measures to eliminate or significantly reduce physical
> > damage during installation. Surveys to reduce the physical contact with
> > corals and other locally important species (i.e., those that have less
> > ability to return quickly) can be very valuable in siting the pipeline
> > corridor. While some have argued that carefully placing effluent pipes
> is a
> > simple matter, I would argue that the post-project damage assessments I
> > have read suggest that either this is not the case or the folks doing the
> > installations were complete imbeciles.
> >
> > It has also been my experience that engineers and "planners" place a
> higher
> > premium on economics and aesthetics above water than on avoiding damage
> > offshore. A critical decision will be based on the likely damage
> potential
> > related to floating a pre-assembled pipe to the shelf edge versus having
> > divers assemble the pipeline section by section. One the one hand, it is
> > VERY tricky to lower a long pipeline into even a broad corridor without
> > landing on corals and other sensitive organisms (including divers). On
> the
> > other hand, "death by a thousand cuts" may be the outcome of divers
> > lowering and assembling individual lengths of pipe.
> >
> > One other consideration -  marine scientists that are well educated in
> > ecological dynamics are often poorly versed in the practicalities of
> marine
> > construction. As a result, ecology and economy are too often in conflict
> > and we all know who the winner will be. So, it is VERY important to
> > identify the technical folks who appreciate the value of the marine
> > community but also know the intricacies of working with heavy equipment
> in
> > the shallow marine environment. It has been my experience that working
> with
> > colleagues who have backgrounds in the professional diving community (and
> > here I'm talking "oil field "grunts" and the like - not dive
> instructors).
> > I had years of experience working with this community during my tenure as
> > Science Coordinator of Hydrolab on St. Croix - and I often found that
> they
> > worried as much about the reefs as I did... and sometimes they were even
> > more restrictive than I argued for. If you want recommendations, let me
> > know; many of my professional-diving collaborators are on St. Croix and
> can
> > be trusted. I'd be happy to make a trip for pre-assessment if needed, but
> > they would be cheaper as they are closer.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> > On Wed, Sep 9, 2020 at 7:51 AM Valerie Gregoire via Coral-List <
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >
> > > Good Day Dear Coral-Listers,
> > >
> > > I have a colleague, who is not on the list, that is working on a
> proposal
> > > for EIA report for a desalination plant in St.Kitts, Caribbean. In
> order
> > to
> > > address the necessary measures to minimize the environmental impact of
> > the
> > > desalination plant with the bine disposal as well as with the routing
> and
> > > placement of pipe, She is looking into guidelines, internationale
> > standard.
> > > If anyone ever work into a desalination project and have some useful
> > > reference, please contact me. Thank you very much.
> > >
> > > Warms regards,
> > > Valerie Gregoire M.Sc.Marine Biology
> > > Tel: +1869-660-9415
> > > Email: vg.valeriegregoire at gmail.com
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Dennis Hubbard - Emeritus Professor: Dept of Geology-Oberlin College
> > Oberlin OH 44074
> > (440) 935-4014
> >
> > * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"*
> >  Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream*"
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 145, Issue 12
> *******************************************
>


-- 
*Inilek Wilmot*
Oracabessa Foundation
The Oracabessa Marine Trust
Sanctuary Manager
Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary
*c. (876) 366-9133, (876) 416-5371*

*email. inilekwilmot at gmail.com <inilekwilmot at gmail.com>*