Over one-half
Coral
of the world's population lives
ReefTargeted Research &
within 100 kilometres
Capacity Building for Management
of the sea.
Coral Reef Targeted Research
& Capacity Building for Management
Restoration and Remediation Working Group
Long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness
of restoration interventions
Goals
Enhancing larval recruitment
Among a range of questions which we hope to
be able to better answer are:
- To improve our understanding of natural
This research program focuses on the sexual
Implications for Coral
recovery processes on reefs so that
propagation of corals from the larval stage
· What minimum local conditions and
we can better advise managers on
following spawning. This involves a higher level
management need to be in place for
Reef Management
appropriate management options for
of technology and at present much higher costs,
active restoration interventions to have a
degraded reef areas.
but does offer the potential of rearing hundreds
chance of success?
of thousands of sexual recruits for restoration.
Coral reefs worldwide are suffering
- To evaluate and compare the long-term
· Under what circumstances is active
degradation from a number of disparate
cost-effectiveness of a range of the
restoration likely to be of little benefit?
Long-term efficacy and cost-
natural and man-induced causes. Tackling the
active restoration interventions currently
· What is the relative cost-effectiveness of a
effectiveness of restoration
root-causes of degradation through effective
available.
range of restoration interventions?
interventions
coastal management measures is likely the
- To investigate ways of improving
· How is asexual coral transplant survival
best way both to reduce further damage and
implementation of existing restoration
Efficacy of restoration interventions should be
related to size in different species and in
to allow reefs to return to viable healthy states.
techniques so as to minimize
judged in terms of what these interventions
different environments?
Nevertheless, there can also be opportunities
environmental impacts, maximize survival achieve in comparison to what occurs with
· Which coral species are not well suited for
for direct intervention to actively restore
of transplants, and lower costs.
natural recovery over at least a 5-10 year
degraded coral reefs.
timescale. The natural reef is varied and it
transplantation?
· What effects do pruning coral colonies
Progress to Date
is difficult to perform adequately controlled
At present we have only a rudimentary
comparisons using patches of natural reef as
for asexual fragments have on the
understanding of a) the complex processes
For the initial five years of the CRTR Program,
there are too many potentially confounding
reproduction, growth and survival of
that contribute to natural recovery of coral
the Restoration and Remediation Working
factors. To get round this problem, this program
donor colonies; how much can be safely
reef systems from disturbance, and b) the
Group (RRWG) have set up three research
is using standardized artificial structures of
excised?
types and advisability of interventions (i.e.
programs:
sufficient scale and replication to allow long-
restoration actions). It is therefore difficult
· How does the nursery rearing
term statistically rigorous comparisons to
to assess both the recovery potential of
Enhancing recovery by culture and
environment affect survivorship of
different sites and the likelihood of any
be made between the outcomes of natural
outplanted corals on the reef?
transplantation of corals
given site benefiting from active restoration
processes and the outcomes of a range of
· At what size is it most cost-effective to
interventions. Criteria are needed that can
This program focuses on asexual propagation
interventions.
outplant sexual recruits reared from coral
specify the degree to which an injured site
of corals to assist restoration. The key to cost-
spawn?
might benefit from better management and/
effectiveness in restoration using transplants
Expected Outcomes
or active restoration. To develop these, we
is balancing the costs of nursery rearing and
We intend to produce at least two outputs
need to understand more about the factors
effective use of limited source material against
specifically for managers. These include Reef
and processes that contribute to both the
the likelihood of survival of transplants. This
Restoration Concepts and Guidelines: making
time-course and the success or failure of
program is investigating the effect of the size
sensible management choices in the face of
natural recovery and of active restoration
More information
and structure of coral fragments on subsequent uncertainty and towards the end of the project a
interventions.
growth and survival for a range of species. Low-
more substantial Reef Restoration Manual.
The University of Queensland is the
cost approaches involving direct transplantation
The research being carried out by the CRTR
Project Executing Agency (PEA). More
are being compared to more costly approaches
Restoration and Remediation Working Group
information about the CRTR Program
involving periods of in situ culture prior to
(RRWG) is seeking not only to address many of
can be obtained from the PEA:
the knowledge gaps which hinder restoration
transplantation to damaged reefs.
but also to channel advice (however limited
C/O Center for Marine Studies
this may be) to the management community
The University of Queensland
so that restoration projects can be undertaken
St Lucia QLD 4072
in a more informed way and with better
Australia
chance of success.
Telephone: +61 7 3365 4333
Tenets
Email: info@gefcoral.org
The CRTR Program is a partnership
· Coral reef restoration is in its infancy. We cannot create fully
between the Global Environment
functional reefs.
Facility, The World Bank, The
University of Queensland (Australia),
· Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery
the United States National Oceanic
of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or
and Atmospheric Administration
destroyed.
(NOAA) and approximately 40
research institutes and other third
parties around the world.
· Improved management of reef areas is the key to their
The four sites or Centers of
health. However, within an overall management plan, active
Excellence are Southeast Asia:
restoration offers managers a useful and potentially powerful
Marine Science Institute of Bolinao,
tool for assisting recovery of degraded reefs.
University of the Philippines; East
Africa: Institute of Marine Sciences,
Society for Ecological Restoration 2004
University of Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar,
Tanzania; Mesoamerica/Western
Caribbean: Unidad Academica
Puerto Morelos, Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico; and
Australasia/South Pacific: Heron
Island Research Laboratory, Centre
for Marine Studies, The University of
www.gefcoral.org
Queensland, Australia.

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