Files and links (2)
Published (Version of record)CC0 V1.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC0 V1.0, Open
Journal article
Coral restoration - A systematic review of current methods, successes, failures and future directions
PloS One, Vol.15(1), pp.1-24
30/01/2020
PMCID: PMC6992220
PMID: 31999709
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
80 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. While marine conservation has historically focused on passive habitat protection, demand for and interest in active restoration has been growing in recent decades. However, a disconnect between coral restoration practitioners, coral reef managers and scientists has resulted in a disjointed field where it is difficult to gain an overview of existing knowledge. To address this, we aimed to synthesise the available knowledge in a comprehensive global review of coral restoration methods, incorporating data from the peer-reviewed scientific literature, complemented with grey literature and through a survey of coral restoration practitioners. We found that coral restoration case studies are dominated by short-term projects, with 60% of all projects reporting less than 18 months of monitoring of the restored sites. Similarly, most projects are relatively small in spatial scale, with a median size of restored area of 100 m2. A diverse range of species are represented in the dataset, with 229 different species from 72 coral genera. Overall, coral restoration projects focused primarily on fast-growing branching corals (59% of studies), and report survival between 60 and 70%. To date, the relatively young field of coral restoration has been plagued by similar 'growing pains' as ecological restoration in other ecosystems. These include 1) a lack of clear and achievable objectives, 2) a lack of appropriate and standardised monitoring and reporting and, 3) poorly designed projects in relation to stated objectives. Mitigating these will be crucial to successfully scale up projects, and to retain public trust in restoration as a tool for resilience based management. Finally, while it is clear that practitioners have developed effective methods to successfully grow corals at small scales, it is critical not to view restoration as a replacement for meaningful action on climate change.
Details
- Title
- Coral restoration - A systematic review of current methods, successes, failures and future directions
- Creators
- Lisa Boström-Einarsson - TropWATER @ James Cook UniversityRussell C Babcock - CSIROElisa Bayraktarov - University of QueenslandDaniela Ceccarelli - Marine Ecology Consultant, Magnetic Island, Qld, AustraliaNathan Cook - Reef EcologicSebastian C A Ferse - Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine ResearchBoze Hancock - Nature ConservancyPeter Harrison - Southern Cross UniversityMargaux Hein - TropWATER @ James Cook UniversityElizabeth Shaver - Nature ConservancyAdam Smith - Reef EcologicDavid Suggett - University of Technology SydneyPhoebe J Stewart-Sinclair - University of QueenslandTali Vardi - ECS for NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology, Silver Spring, MD, United States of AmericaIan M McLeod - TropWATER @ James Cook University
- Publication Details
- PloS One, Vol.15(1), pp.1-24
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science; United States
- Grant note
- This project was supported by the National Environmental Science Programme Tropical Water Quality Hub (NESP TWQ) to LBE, IMM, MH, DC, NC and AS, and the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) to LBE and IMM through the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) at James Cook University (JCU).
- Identifiers
- 991012925577502368
- Copyright
- This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
- Academic Unit
- Marine Ecology Research Centre; School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Science; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article