[Coral-List] Coral regeneration projects
Héctor Reyes Bonilla
hreyes at uabcs.mx
Fri Jul 2 15:59:14 UTC 2021
saludos a todos.
let me share an extra observation based on our experience in mexico, that
supports the idea that to break corals for "restoration" is a (probaby
very) bad idea.
reproduction in corals is based on colony size, not age. we have observed
that tagged colonies of pocillopora with a diameter about 12-15 cm are
sexually active in summer-fall, but if the colony suffer some damage
(hurricanes, divers, anchors), quickly "abort" the gametes, probably
because the energy expense become too high for a smaller number of polyps.
according to the literature, this is not exclusive of this genus but
probably a pattern in scleractinians.
in short, if relatively small colonies of branching corals (and probably of
massive corals too) are used as "donors" because they are abundant and stop
reproducing at least for (let´s say) one year, it is quite possible that
the restoration project may win one branch, but lose several (who knows how
many) natural recruits at the same time. if we consider that mortality is
stable in time, a fast calculation shows that instead of winning, the
"restoration project" may be decreasing the capability of the population to
survive in the long term.
why not use naturally produced fragments ("corals of opportunity") instead?
Hector Reyes
El vie, 2 jul 2021 a las 2:40, Belize TREC via Coral-List (<
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>) escribió:
> To the best of my knowledge a large review of the subject has shown only
> about 1% of such coral restoration projects have increased coral after 5
> years. Prove the science first before large restoration projects are
> implemented. There is money to be made by offering recreational SCUBA
> divers the chance to feel they have helped coral reefs when there is very,
> very limited evidence this is true. Threatening LIBAL suits is intimidation.
> Ken Mattes
> ________________________________
> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf of
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> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2021 4:00 PM
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 154, Issue 32
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: High Risk that shadow projects may affect resilience of
> coral reefs (Nohora Galvis)
> 2. Coral City Camera recordings available to researchers
> (Coral Morphologic)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:33:57 -0500
> From: Nohora Galvis <icri.colombia at gmail.com>
> To: Phanor Hernando Montoya Maya <phmontoyamaya at gmail.com>
> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] High Risk that shadow projects may affect
> resilience of coral reefs
> Message-ID:
> <CAO+JPTG7qC_hwGB-pqdg-EbyiRi+1x-YqZgd9TZbhUwZaU=
> ihA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Thanks Phanor for invite us to expose the disagreement and worries of
> the inhabitants of the archipelago and the international researchers
> that are dedicated to understand the high morbidity (illness
> condition) in fragmented coral colonies that are tied to unstable
> structures such as ropes. In fact, there is going to be a webinar
> about the subject The Observatory is an open channel to allow them to
> express their concerns as the Coral-List and science of loss is about.
>
> A threat to coral reefs should be known at intenrational level. If you
> have the scientific support to explain why exactly ONE MILLION CORAL
> COLONIES NEED TO BE BROKEN using 7 fishers that you trained in few
> hours and left locally, then you should not be afraid.
>
> The worries of the inhabitants of San Andres and Providencia, are not
> personal. The local diving operators and the leaders of the islands
> have contacted me. They have found a lot of contradictions in your
> megaproject. Although, some diving operators know you, beacuse you
> also get profit for the tourism diving insdustry involving divers who
> are wiling to pay for a trip to support your strategy. They said you
> go few days and leave the volunteers to do the job. They wonder if the
> responsaibility of the job is theirs or yours. In the past, they have
> reported to the Coral Reefs Observatory that your nurseries are
> unstable and placed in very shallow areas.Your strategy supported with
> million of dollars, in the field it is at very low cost then you avoid
> paying for the tanks of volunteers, The nurseries are left without
> monitoring and disapeared after the Hurricane and the mortatlity may
> has not be reported by you as you said that Coral reefs were not
> affected by Hurricane Iota to praise th eeg o of the government
> funders. Local scuba diving operators depend on diving for living and
> they can not risk their livelihoods due to your fake promises to the
> President. Those promises were announced publically with your words
> "The one million corals strategy looks for natural recovery by
> microfragmenting" using fishers to Increase the complexity of the
> structures... with ropes.
>
> About your words and context in the pleanry during REEF FUTURES 2018,
> the 500 people who attended that meeting may also remember that you
> explain the reason why Varadero reef is resilient: "The corals there
> love poop"... well in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve the broken coral
> colonies will be exposed to sewage. According to ProCoReef and a
> research group from the Javeriana University who are in opposition to
> your oportunistic strategy, explain their scientific argument: "These
> techniques involve breaking the corals to promise to restore reefs,
> but they represent a focus of coral diseases and we know that the
> origin of these is by human bacteria contained in feces fecal. The
> Archipielago does not have a good sewage system, pollution reaches
> directly the coral reefs.
>
> It is relevant to discuss the future of coral reefs as it depends on
> our decsions and behavior #GlobalbeahviorChange #GlobalBehaviOURchange
>
> Below there are only two of the many messages that I received directly
> with the same or different Subject but all in favor of showing
> disagreement with your low cost MEGAPROJECT of millions of dollars to
> "save the Colombian Coral Reefs"
> https://twitter.com/MinAmbienteCo/status/1399874778631114752/photo/1
>
> 2021-06-24 15:43 GMT-05:00, Douglas Fenner <douglasfennertassi at gmail.com>:
> > Are they going to go out and deliberately break corals??? That would be
> > very stupid indeed, and harm the reef. Not all broken off pieces will
> > survive, even if grown in a coral garden. And the parent colony is
> heavily
> > stressed. Using pieces that were already broken off by nature, that's a
> > completely different thing, then any pieces that are saved and grown are
> a
> > benefit to the reef.
> > Cheers, Doug
>
>
> 2021-06-28 10:17 GMT-05:00, Tom Goreau <goreau at globalcoral.org>:
> > I'm not sure if I sent you my observations on mass failure of mass coral
> > breaking "restoration by fragmentation" projects?
> >
> > I should write them up and post them..............
> >
> > Thomas J. F. Goreau, PhD
> > President, Global Coral Reef Alliance
> > Chief Scientist, Blue Regeneration SL
> > President, Biorock Technology Inc.
> > Technical Advisor, Blue Guardians Programme, SIDS DOCK
> > 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
> > goreau at globalcoral.org
> > www.globalcoral.org<http://www.globalcoral.org>
> > Skype: tomgoreau
> > Tel: (1) 617-864-4226 (leave message)
> >
>
> 2021-06-26 10:37 GMT-05:00, Phanor Hernando Montoya Maya via
> Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>:
> > Dear Nohora,
> > The coral-list is not the right channel to direct personal attacks. Any
> > differences you and I have, let?s solve them privately not in a
> > public forum. But before I leave you, I am obliged to clarify a few
> things
> > about your latest email (below):
> > 1. You requested feedback about the project in Colombia, I provided so.
> If
> > you or anyone else wants to know about the one milli?n corals for
> Colombia
> > project or any of the related work, please let me know and I will try to
> > answer or link you with the right source (researcher, technical report,
> or
> > peer-review paper).
> > 2. The 500 people who attended Reef Futures 2018 and heard my words, are
> > aware of the context of the discussion and message I was trying to
> convey.
> > 3. Neither myself nor the organization I run, Corales de Paz, has
> received
> > funding from the government or any of its dependencies in the last 5
> years
> > since my return to Colombia. I wish I had been successfully funded as we
> > would have sped up the participatory coral reef monitoring and
> restoration
> > efforts in Colombia.
> > 4. Lastly, remember that libel and defamation are punishable by law in
> > Colombia and elsewhere.
> > Respectfully,
> >
> >
> > *Phanor H Montoya-Maya, Ph.D.*Director Corales de Paz
> > Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner #0514
> > Research Associate CEMARIN
> >
> > Tel: +57 313 652 1198
> > Email: phmontoya at coralesdepaz.org, phmontoyamaya at gmail.com
> > Organisation: www.coralesdepaz.org<http://www.coralesdepaz.org>
> >
> > On Fri, 25 Jun 2021 at 12:00, <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:59:45 -0500
> >> From: Nohora Galvis <icri.colombia at gmail.com>
> >> To: Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >> Subject: [Coral-List] High Risk that shadow projects may affect
> >> resilience of coral reefs
> >> Message-ID:
> >> <
> >> CAO+JPTFaZbvddeMxUWc2f5mcO2iY2O62BkfhLi3mWYHB2dZ58g at mail.gmail.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >>
> >> Dear Colleagues,
> >>
> >> As mentioned in the most recent messages about the Colombian
> >> Government large scale restoration projects based on coral breaking,
> >> the main causes of coral reef degradation in governmental protected
> >> areas have not been solved and the promise to save coral reefs by
> >> breaking coral colonies, may add to the local factors that affect the
> >> resilience of coral reefs.
> >>
> >> Phanor Montoya wrote; ?Although Colombia has National Natural Parks
> >> and marine protected areas that protect almost 90% of its coral reefs,
> >> no clear signs of reef recovery have been observed after significant
> >> degradation due to natural disturbances?. explained by the continuous
> >> impact of human actions within MPAs?. Since the ICRS 2000, I have
> >> presented findings of low management effectiveness, that is why now in
> >> the Observatory of Coral reefs, we are providing warnings to the top
> >> decision makers based on early alerts within our Citizen science
> >> Program to better prevent further coral reef direct destruction by
> >> anchoring, dredging, military bombing, illegal fishing, hurricanes
> >> etc. that break coral colonies. Besides, other local threats caused by
> >> pollution, sedimentation, invasive species and contagious diseases
> >> among other local causes of degradation are not tackled by the
> >> managers. Of course, being sincere is not popular and top decision
> >> makers are willing to pay for shadow projects that promise to save
> >> coral reefs without controlling local degradation causes.
> >>
> >> We got skeptical about the restoration projects of Phanor when he
> >> shared during the plenary of Reef Futures 2018, how he convince
> >> funders of restoration projects by ?praising their ego?. The Colombian
> >> President and Environment Minister and the chief of CORALINA liked
> >> that and Phanor has been successful fully funded at international and
> >> national level to scale up his plans by saying that the Hurricane Iota
> >> category 5, did not cause damage to the coral reefs, nor dredging is
> >> detrimental for bottom habitats of Seaflower and MPAs have not
> >> difference with other MPAs of the Caribbean Sea, which contradicts
> >> what he says at the beginning of his message about degraded Colombian
> >> MPAs and intense climate change impacts.
> >>
> >> The facts are that INVEMAR did presented a report after Hurricane Iota
> >> presenting negative impacts till 12m deep
> >>
> >>
> https://www.semana.com/medio-ambiente/articulo/arrecifes-coralinos-de-providencia-gravemente-afectados-por-el-paso-de-iota/58079/
> >> and Dredging the Providencia Channel got license in 2018 to removed
> >> >308000m3 to deposit the sediment, several kilometers closer to dive
> >> sites and coral reef areas in Seaflower. This governmental
> >> contradictions are the ones that make fishers communities to protest
> >> against the government decisions, as they have not seen the
> >> investment on solutions to their basic needs for shelter and food
> >> security related to the rebuilding of Providencia Island and they have
> >> to go further to fish at the boundaries with Nicaragua. In fact, the
> >> scenario after Hurricane Iota Category 5 that destroys 98% of the
> >> infrastructure was an opportunity to rebuild the small town in a
> >> sustainable way more environmental friendly to avoid further local
> >> pollution. However, only two new houses have been built in seven
> >> months
> >>
> https://www.portafolio.co/economia/solo-2-casas-se-han-construido-en-san-andres-y-providencia-tras-iota-552797
> >>
> >> Coral Reefs Optimism should be based on the assumption that coral
> >> reefs must not be degraded any further, at least locally.
> >> Nevertheless, the Colombian Government stipulated that for any
> >> proposed project (e.g. Dredging) which is detrimental to the ecosystem
> >> integrity, provision be made for the realization (or the financing) of
> >> a shadow project. These shadow projects as local scale have been
> >> implemented but different researchers in the past decade. We agree
> >> with innovative and interesting proposal from other researchers that
> >> will study the spawning / recruitment success
> >>
> >>
> https://www.facebook.com/CarmabiMarineBiologicalStation/photos/a.573897512668909/4241375142587776/
> >> .
> >> However, the focus of the Colombian Government is now to scale up the
> >> breaking coral colonies without stopping local degradation causes.
> >>
> >> We are writing an official letter to the Ministry of Environment to
> >> request not to develop such a project on the Hope Spot Capurgana-Cabo
> >> Tiburon Hope Spot (Our Resilient case study) as there, it is still
> >> coral natural recruitment within a bottom-up protection scheme and
> >> scientific reports of the best healthy Acropora cover. We recommend to
> >> leave it as a control site. Although it is not yet included within the
> >> National Park Systems, fishers from other governmental protected areas
> >> have learned that this is the most resilient coral reef of the
> >> Colombian Continental Caribbean and are now increasing the fishing
> >> pressure in this resilient coral reef area. Our local observers of the
> >> reefs are removing big nets that have been placed illegally so in that
> >> sense we do request the Navy to support the local scuba diver
> >> operators and artisanal fishers that help to improve governance.
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Cordial saludo,
> >>
> >> Nohora Galvis
> >>
> >> Directora,
> >> Observatorio Internacional de Arrecifes Coralinos
> >> Fundaci?n ICRI Colombia
> >> Coordinadora Red Internacional de Observadores Voluntarios del Arrecife
> >> Follow us on:
> >> Facebook.com/ICRI.COLOMBIA
> >> Twitter @ArrecifesCoral e @ICRIcolombia
> >> Youtube ICRI Colombia
> >> https://icri-colombia.es.tl/
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
> --
> Cordial saludo,
>
> Nohora Galvis
>
> Directora,
> Observatorio Internacional de Arrecifes Coralinos
> Fundaci?n ICRI Colombia
> Coordinadora Red Internacional de Observadores Voluntarios del Arrecife
> Follow us on:
> Facebook.com/ICRI.COLOMBIA
> Twitter @ArrecifesCoral e @ICRIcolombia
> Youtube ICRI Colombia
> https://icri-colombia.es.tl/
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2021 17:47:23 -0400
> From: Coral Morphologic <coralmorphologic at gmail.com>
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: [Coral-List] Coral City Camera recordings available to
> researchers
> Message-ID:
> <CADNNdUpcnpbc64=
> xNxgo64Aw_PZdY7SoCZLMX5BLRJ2FW8iQYQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Since early 2020, the Coral City Camera (www.coralcitycamera.com<
> http://www.coralcitycamera.com>) has been
> live-streaming nearly non-stop from its underwater location at the
> easternmost point of PortMiami as part of an award-winning public art and
> education project in collaboration with NOAA.
>
> During the past 18 months I have individually annotated over 14,000 clips
> representing 157 species of fish (plus lots of manatees and the occasional
> diving seabird and sea turtle and green iguana). Besides documenting the
> best views of each species observed, I also captured interesting behaviors
> (predation, color changes, aggressive encounters etc). This may represent
> one of the most comprehensive collections of annotated video data from a
> single coral reef site.
>
> In the spirit of open access science, we would like to make this database
> of videos available to researchers. Because the CCC is in a stationary
> position (moved once 300' in Jan 2021), it may be an ideal dataset for
> those interested in developing AI/computer learning algorithms to identify
> and count Caribbean reef fish. It is currently being used in the MATE ROV
> student competition for this purpose.
>
> We have made sure to record the same locations at the same times for an
> hour in the morning and early evening to create an even more standardized
> data subset. Beyond the 2tb of short clips (most are 10-30 seconds in
> length), separately we have also made about 10tb of multiple-hour long
> recordings (90%+ of daylight hours have been recorded since Jan 2021) that
> may be useful to identify seasonal changes in abundance and biodiversity at
> this site.
>
> If analyzing this data is something that you might find useful, please
> contact me via email and let us know what you're interested in studying.
> Accessing all 14k+ videos will likely require a Dropbox Professional
> account, or a blank harddrive of sufficient storage could be mailed to us
> to return back to you.
>
> Cheers,
> Colin
> Coral Morphologic <http://www.coralmorphologic.com>
> Coral City Camera <http://www.coralcitycamera.com>
>
>
> ------------------------------
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>
> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 154, Issue 32
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--
Héctor Reyes Bonilla
Departamento Académico de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Carretera al sur km 5.5. Col. El Mezquitito
La Paz, B.C.S., C.P. 23080.
Tel. (52-612) 123-8800, ext. 4814
Fax (52-612) 123-8819.
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