[Coral-List] Last 3 days to apply for upcoming - REEF BUILDING WORKSHOP

Phanor Hernando Montoya Maya phmontoyamaya at gmail.com
Fri Jul 16 00:39:53 UTC 2021


Dear Dr Precht,

Thank you very much for sharing your book. That was the very first book I
read on coral reef restoration. It introduced me to the two controversial
views in ecosystem restoration, which I dare to say, you suggest summarize
the discussion in this thread: self-design vs engineered-design. Although
both rely on the principle that stressors that can be removed should be
removed, one relies on a sit-and-wait approach to natural recovery
(self-design) and the other one on interventions to jump-start or
accelerate natural recovery (engineered-design). My little experience in
the field of ecological restoration suggests that both are valid but the
choice of approach depends on location, baseline condition, and goals.

I started working on coral reef restoration in the early 2000s. First, I
was trying to control/reduce/mitigate local impacts on coral reefs by
creating awarenessabout the coral reef crisis on reef users and training
them to better use coral reefs. Then, I move into proper science and tried
to protect coral reefs by linking large- and small-scale genetic
connectivity of coral reefs to transboundary management strategies. During
my Ph.D., I learned about active coral reef restoration and decided to test
this evaluate its effectiveness in accelerating natural reef recovery. In
so doing, I ended up assessing coral recruitment at a large-scale coral
gardening project in a private nature reserve in Seychelles under the
supervision of Dr Sarah Frias-Torres and Dr Nirmal Shah. From all of this,
I learned that there is no single strategy to overcome the coral reef
crisis. That we need to use all tools and methods available to us,
combine efforts at all levels (from grassroot to government), and that when
done in protected areas, continuously and at scale, coral gardening and
other methods can indeed jump-start reef recovery of degraded reefs (either
from natural or anthopogenic causes).

>From your book to this day coral reef restoration has moved forward indeed.
I encourage all to read the latest UNEP and ICRI report on coral reef
restoration: Hein MY, McLeod IM, Shaver EC,Vardi T, Pioch S,
Boström-Einarsson L, Ahmed M, Grimsditch G7(2020). Coral Reef Restoration
as a strategy to improve ecosystem services – A guide to coral restoration
methods. United Nations Environment Program, Nairobi, Kenya.. If you don´t
have time to read the whole document, please read  the
Recommendations,Table 1. Goals and associated rationales of coral reef
restoration and then Table 2. Current methods of coral reef restoration.
The very first recommendation is "Coral reef restoration efforts need to be
integrated into broader reef management strategies". In so doing, proactive
and reactive efforts become complementary and can enable conditions for
successful coral reef restoration. The two tables show that there are
different reasons why to assist in the recovery of a degraded reef and that
we have already different methods available to undertake such intervention.
Two of the 8 currently defined methods are coral gardening (including micro
fragmentation) and substrate addition either via green engineering
(artificial reef/MARS spiders ) or electro-deposition. They all have
evidence to support they are suitable to assist in reef recovery provided
goals and objectives are clear and enabling conditions are in place.

As the team from rrreefs has already explained, their small pilot reef (~4
sq mt) is a proof of concept. We are pleased to know we have been selected
Colombia to be the location for this test. The local environmental
authority has teamed up in this experiment as it could increase the
available substrate for coral recruitment and assist in reducing coastal
erosion in previously identified areas in San Andrés. There is a whole team
of scientists, engineers, biologists, and oceanographers that are behind
this pilot exercise to test its feasibility and durability from modeling to
field experiments. We are confident that we will produce some good evidence
to support, reject or adapt it for further use.

I hope we all see the opportunity we have to test a new approach.
Regardless if it works or not, we would have put it to the test before full
implementation. Following the scientific method in the same way, we
provided evidence that MPA´s work, that increasing structural complexity
promotes natural recovery processes, and that that removing or adding
keystone species influences reef resilience, just to give some examples of
other methods for coral reef conservation and restoration. I wish we have
done so with so many efforts before.

Thanks to all of you for your comments, suggestions and criticisms. They
are all welcome and can only help the rrreefs team and collaborators
contribute better to the science for coral reef restoration.

I will leave you with words supporting Austin´s key point: Buying time for
coral reefs is a team effort, we need you all onboard to have a change to
succeed. Everyone of us has a task to do in this game (e.g. advocating for
keeping warming under 1.5°C, helping reduce pollution, improving MPA
management, or assisting natural reef recovery, etc.). Let´s not waste
precious time discussing between us, let´s build a common strategy to
tackle all fronts of the problem simultaneously. "Divide and conquer" does
not work for conserving coral reef ecosystem services.Either we all win or
we all loose.

Best regards,


*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
Website: www.phmontoyamaya.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 11:52:05 -0400
From: William Precht <william.precht at gmail.com>
To: Elizabeth Sherman <sherman at bennington.edu>
Cc: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>, Hanna Kuhfuss
        <hanna.kuhfuss at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Last 3 days to apply for upcoming - REEF
        BUILDING        WORKSHOP
Message-ID:
        <CAGVTjtE7qGKw0dSsNzV-HjameZR6LAhC2xaT1nU26MCnrRbZMQ at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

I encourage people to read

Precht, W.F. and Robbart, M.L. (2006) Coral reef restoration: the
rehabilitation of an ecosystem under siege. *in* Precht, W.F. (ed) Coral
Reef Restoration Handbook, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL pp. 1-24

While it is now a little dated it addresses all the arguments being
discussed in this thread.

If anyone has trouble accessing the chapter - please send me a direct email.

Coral reef restoration: the rehabilitation of an ecosystem under siege
<
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=-AHOBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Precht,+W.F.+and+Robbart,+M.L.+Coral+reef+restoration:+the+rehabilitation+of+an+ecosystem+under+siege.+in+Precht,+W.F.+(ed)+Coral+Reef+Restoration+Handbook,+CRC+Press,+Boca+Raton,+FL+pp.+1-24&ots=rTBB_7juCJ&sig=lVAJYPq2dX5Y3iEz6EW5mR7auJM
>
WF Precht
<https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cLDYyigAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra>, M
Robbart - Coral reef restoration handbook, 2006 - books.google.com
Today, coral reefs are under siege from a number of environmental
pressures. Accordingly, the management of the world's coral reef resources
is the subject of some controversy. 1 General agreement exists about the
value of these ecosystems in terms of ecological, social, and aesthetic
benefits. 2 There is also some agreement that an estimated 24% of reefs
are in danger of collapse from human pressures3 and another 26% are under
the threat of longer-term degradation and collapse. Admittedly, the numbers
and percent devastation ?

On Wed, Jul 14, 2021 at 11:20 AM Elizabeth Sherman via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Mike,
> You say exactly what I have been saying (on this site--where I have been
> shouted down--and others). I liken reef restoration projects to cleaning
> out the coronary arteries of someone with heart disease. If you clean out
> the arteries but the patient continues to smoke (or continues to pollute,
> warm and acidify the reefs), you've just kicked the can down the road for
a
> bit but haven't changed the outcome (i.e. dead patient, dead reefs). The
> only way this might be a reasonable strategy (for both patient and reef)
is
> if it buys a little more time so the patient can stop smoking. But in
spite
> of 40 years of clamoring from the scientific community, reefs continue to
> be degraded due to both local assaults and global assaults. So what is a
> Jeremiah to do???
>
> On Wed, Jul 14, 2021 at 7:59 AM Risk, Michael via Coral-List <
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> >    I don't know what depresses me more, observing the trajectory of my
> >    favourite ecosystem, or watching earnest, committed young people
> >    wasting their time in futile ventures.
> >
> >    The process rrreefs use, 3-D printing of modules, is very cool, very
> >    21st century. (Personally, I have a ton of questions about this. What
> >    "clay?" Illite? Montmorillonite? Organics? Baked? Tests? Longevity?
> etc
> >    etc-like, where's the science?.).
> >
> >    But of course, we shouldn't need any of that. Many, many years ago, I
> >    built some reefs in Discovery Bay (Atoll Res Bull 255, 1981). Various
> >    iterations of concrete blocks, rubble, etc, to find the "best"
> >    configuration. The reefs were all covered with corals and other
> >    epizoans within a few months. All corals need is a surface to settle,
> >    and clean water.
> >
> >    Before any reef rehab efforts are undertaken, anywhere, we must ask
> >    "why did they leave in the first place?" because if those stresses
are
> >    not rectified, any and all reef rehab efforts are costly wastes of
> >    time. In the vast majority of cases, the cause of the original
> >    extirpation will be some land-based threat. The one lesson we (I mean
> >    YOU) seem to forget is, if you clean up the water, they will come
> back.
> >
> >    Yeah, I know-same old same old.
> >
> >    Mike
> >      __________________________________________________________________
> >
> >    From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf
> of
> >    Lisa Carne via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2021 6:57 PM
> >    To: Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>
> >    Cc: Hanna Kuhfuss <hanna.kuhfuss at gmail.com>; coral list
> >    <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Last 3 days to apply for upcoming - REEF
> >    BUILDING WORKSHOP
> >
> >    Per Sarah's email:
> >    That `something else' is normally called artificial reefs.
> >    While it may have a role/function in certain places, it is not to be
> >    confused with ecosystem restoration.
> >    Also curious about the choice and source of `clay'
> >    Best from Belize,
> >    Lisa Carne
> >    > On 13-Jul-2021, at 16:32, Sarah Frias-Torres via Coral-List
> >    <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >    >
> >    > Hanna
> >    > Just trying to understand more about the thinking process here.
> >    >
> >    > On the website, you have a statement on "Dive into the science",
> >    where you mention "scientific investigations" on this system of clay
> >    3-D printed modules. Are there any published peer-reviewed scientific
> >    papers, that demonstrate these clay blocks you talk about are
> achieving
> >    coral reef rehabilitation?
> >    > I could not find any links on the website, only a video and a
> >    crowdfunding page
> >    > Can you explain what you mean by rehabilitation? because this is
not
> >    coral reef restoration, but something else.
> >    >
> >    >
> >    > <><...<><...<><...
> >    >
> >    > Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D.
> >    > Twitter: @GrouperDoc
> >    > Science Blog: [1]https://grouperluna.com/
> >    > Art Blog: [2]https://oceanbestiary.com/
> >    >
> >    >
> >    > ________________________________
> >    > From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf
> >    of Hanna Kuhfuss via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    > Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2021 5:16 AM
> >    > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >    > Subject: [Coral-List] Last 3 days to apply for upcoming - REEF
> >    BUILDING WORKSHOP
> >    >
> >    > *Last 3 days to apply for upcoming* - *REEF BUILDING WORKSHOP -
> >    LIVING
> >    > SHORELINES: Green Engineering Methods for Coral Reef
Rehabilitation*
> >    >
> >    > *10 - 20 Sep 2021*
> >    >
> >    > Registration deadline: *15th of July 2021*
> >    >
> >    >
> >    > Hi coral-listers,
> >    >
> >    > *Registration for the workshop is open for only 3 more days.*
Please
> >    feel
> >    > free to spread it to anyone who might be interested.
> >    >
> >    > We, rrreefs <[3]https://www.rrreefs.com/> (a german/swiss not for
> >    profit
> >    > initiative) are excited to announce *our first-ever *international
> >    > *reef-building
> >    > workshop *in partnership with Corales de Paz
> >    <[4]https://www.coralesdepaz.org/>
> >    > , taking place *this September* in *San Andres, Colombia*.
> >    >
> >    > This goes out to everyone interested in joining us in building the
> >    first
> >    > pilot reef with rrreefs' easy-to-handle 3D-printed stackable brick
> >    system.
> >    > It is a *10-day intensive full-time 100 hours hands-on, and
in-water
> >    > practical workshop* (incl. 14 SCUBA dives). The workshop touches on
> >    coral
> >    > ecology, newest approaches to coral restoration and ecosystem
> >    > rehabilitation, appropriate design, logistics, and evaluation of a
> >    > restoration project. We will showcase the feasibility of
> construction
> >    and
> >    > customization, with a subsequent multi-year monitoring program.
This
> >    new
> >    > approach of passive, structure-based reef regeneration will be
> >    combined
> >    > with proven active reef restoration approaches such as coral
> >    fragmentation,
> >    > gardening, and transplantation techniques perfected by Corales de
> >    Paz.
> >    >
> >    > The program will be divided into a series of classroom lessons and
> >    field
> >    > activities. Lessons will be held in English. All in-water field
> >    activities
> >    > will be carried out with SCUBA diving equipment.
> >    >
> >    > To download the full program for more details, costs, and other
> >    practical
> >    > information, please check out the Workshop brochure and flyer or
> >    visit our
> >    > homepage rrreefs.com <[5]https://www.rrreefs.com/>
> >    >
> >    > For any additional information, feel free to send an email to
> >    > info at rrreefs.com
> >    >
> >    >
> >    > Cheers,
> >    >
> >    > your rrreefs team
> >    >
> >    > Hanna Kuhfuss
> >    >
> >    > Marie Griesmar
> >    >
> >    > Ulrike Pfreundt
> >    >
> >    > --
> >    > *HANNA KUHFUSS*
> >    >
> >    > *Co-Founder at rrreefs (NGO)*
> >    > rethinking-rebuilding-regenerating coral reefs
> >    >
> >    > www.rrreefs.com<[6]http://www.rrreefs.com>
> >    >
> >    >
> >    > *Geschaeftsfuehrerin/Gruenderin Aerialnauten *
> >    >
> >    > *by Schwerelos Yoga Freiburg*
> >    >
> >    > *Aerial Yoga Studio, Yoga Therapie & Training*
> >    > *mail schwerelosyoga.freiburg at gmail.com
> >    <schwerelosyoga.freiburg at gmail.com>*
> >    > *mobile* (+49) 177 3454 952
> >    > [7]www.schwerelos-yoga.de<http://www.schwerelos-yoga.de>
> >    > _______________________________________________
> >    > Coral-List mailing list
> >    > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >    > [8]https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >    > _______________________________________________
> >    > Coral-List mailing list
> >    > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >    > [9]https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >    _______________________________________________
> >    Coral-List mailing list
> >    Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >    [10]https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> > References
> >
> >    1. https://grouperluna.com/
> >    2. https://oceanbestiary.com/
> >    3. https://www.rrreefs.com/
> >    4. https://www.coralesdepaz.org/
> >    5. https://www.rrreefs.com/
> >    6. http://www.rrreefs.com/
> >    7. http://www.schwerelos-yoga.de<http://www.schwerelos-yoga.de
> >    8. https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >    9. https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >   10. 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
> >
>
>
> --
> Elizabeth Sherman, Ph.D.
> Professor of Biology, *Emerita*
> Bennington College
>
>
> *As coral reefs go, so goes the planet.*
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>


--
William F. Precht

 ?You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice
you have?

Bob Marley


"Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't
have the strength."

Theodore Roosevelt


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