Coral reef restoration in Indonesia: lessons learnt from the world’s largest coral restoration nation

Abstract

Indonesia is the global coral reef restoration leader by number of projects, yet these remain diverse and disparate. This study reviews the status of Indonesian coral reef restoration and current best practice (CBP) through the lens of international CBP as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration manager’s guide for reef restoration planning and design, providing suggestions for a formal network of reef restoration practitioner network to develop and implement a national restoration roadmap. Surveyed projects were identified from existing reef restoration networks and databases and using online search engines. Responses were obtained from 45 projects with whom interviews were conducted to determine alignment with international CBP. There is particular scope to increase quantitative data collection, reinforce community involvement, and improve ecological data collection. While 84% of projects reported quantifiable goals, 64% didn’t quantify goals during planning and 61% didn’t incorporate climate smart design features. Quantitative reef monitoring surveys were absent in 22% of projects. Important ecological metrics including coral community composition/diversity (96%), coral health/bleaching (89%), benthic community (62%), and coral survival (62%) weren’t quantified by long-term monitoring in the majority of projects. Indonesia has the capacity, regulations, and networks to position itself as reef restoration driver in the Coral Triangle region, but this will require countrywide coordination, alignment, and quantification of restoration. A structured, collaborative and iterative national network of government authorities, decision-makers, and reef restoration managers, practitioners, and researchers, could facilitate the development of a national restoration roadmap, including a tiered system to standardise project planning, monitoring, and reporting, and greater focus on climate change adaptation goals.