Multi-Disciplinary Lessons Learned from Low-Tech Coral Farming and Reef Rehabilitation: I. Best Management Practices

Abstract

Low-tech coral farming and reef rehabilitation have become important communitybased coral reef management tools. At least in the wider Caribbean region, these strategies have been successfully implemented to recover depleted populations of staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (A. palmata). They have also been used with relative success to recover depleted fish assemblages. Indirectly, coral reef rehabilitation has also resulted in enhanced benthic spatial heterogeneity, in providing multiple new microhabitats for fish and invertebrate species; have contributed to the recovery of coastal resilience, increasing the protection of shorelines against erosion; and have fostered an increased interest of the tourism sector as an enhanced attraction for visitors and recreationists. Nevertheless, there is still a need to implement best management practices to improve the success of these strategies. In this chapter, lessons learned from the Community-Based Coral Aquaculture and Reef Rehabilitation Program in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, are shared from a multidisciplinary standpoint. Learning from past experiences is a critical process to improve science. In a time of significant projected climate change impacts and sea level rise, improving the scale of coral farming and reef rehabilitation has become a critical tool for coral reef conservation. But multiple roadblocks must still be overcome.

Resistance, resilience, and vulnerability of social‐ecological systems to hurricanes in Puerto Rico

“…Shallow fringing coral reefs can reduce 97% of the wave energy, and reef flats alone can dissipate 86% of that energy (Ferrario et al 2014). Consequently, the conservation and ecological restoration of shallow coral reef assemblages has become a critical tool to replenish depleted coral populations of critical species such as Elkhorn coral across the Caribbean (Hernández‐Delgado et al 2018a, b). Restoring coral accretion along shallow reef crest and flat zones will increase wave buffering by shallow reef zones in the long‐term, thereby increasing the resilience and resistance of backreef assemblages, and that of adjacent seagrass and shoreline communities.…”

Micro-Fragmentation as an Effective and Applied Tool to Restore Remote Reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

“…The literature further reveals two general attitudes that are employed: the simpler and cheapest way of direct transplantation of corals fragments to degraded reef [36,76,77] and the "coral gardening" approach that requires additional work and extended periods for coral transplantation through an intermediate aquaculture nursery phase, where coral fragments are cultured until reaching suitable transplantation sizes [18,27,78,79]. Many of the widely-used and efficient restoration techniques, such as the coral gardening and farming tenet [17,22,27,33,35,78,80], are time-consuming, and need constant maintenance of farmed corals and accessibility to infrastructure and facilities. This is impractical in cases, where, for example, restoration activities are performed in remote reefs or under unfavorable conditions, further highlighting the need to expand the restoration toolbox and to adapt alternative approaches, such as direct transplantation.…”

Spatial benthic community analysis of shallow coral reefs to support coastal management in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

“…Full-size  DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10080/ fig-7 biodiversity conservation and coastal protection. This could be achieved by transplanting out-grown fragments from nearby coral nurseries to reefs locations with existing remnant populations using locally proven methods (Hernández-Delgado, Mercado-Molina & Suleimán-Ramos, 2018). Meanwhile, D. antillarum densities were low throughout all of Flamenco's coral reefs, highlighting the critical state of long-spined sea-urchin herbivory.…”

“…IDW maps point to reef locations (E and C) where Acroporid restoration would assist in increasing rugosity and abundance of threatened species, thus contributing to biodiversity conservation and coastal protection. This could be achieved by transplanting out-grown fragments from nearby coral nurseries to reefs locations with existing remnant populations using locally proven methods ( Hernández-Delgado, Mercado-Molina & Suleimán-Ramos, 2018 ).…”