A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs

by Division on Earth and Life Studies

Coral reef declines have been recorded for all major tropical ocean basins since the 1980s, averaging approximately 30-50% reductions in reef cover globally. These losses are a result of numerous problems, including habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, disease, and climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions and the associated increases in ocean temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been implicated in increased reports of coral bleaching, disease outbreaks, and ocean acidification (OA). For the hundreds of millions of people who depend on reefs for food or livelihoods, the thousands of communities that depend on reefs for wave protection, the people whose cultural practices are tied to reef resources, and the many economies that depend on reefs for fisheries or tourism, the health and maintenance of this major global ecosystem is crucial. A growing body of research on coral physiology, ecology, molecular biology, and responses to stress has revealed potential tools to increase coral resilience. Some of this knowledge is poised to provide practical interventions in the short-term, whereas other discoveries are poised to facilitate research that may later open the doors to additional interventions. A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs reviews the state of science on genetic, ecological, and environmental interventions meant to enhance the persistence and resilience of coral reefs. The complex nature of corals and their associated microbiome lends itself to a wide range of possible approaches. This first report provides a summary of currently available information on the range of interventions present in the scientific literature and provides a basis for the forthcoming final report.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2019

Reviews

[Catherine Puma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2019 consensus study report was put together by the Committee on Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs on the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As a former employee of the National Academies and a current graduate student studying coral reefs, I was primed to appreciate both the format and content of this report.

This is exactly the kind of book I need in my life right now, and I learned so much about current coral reef resilience science. I originally started reading this via the free PDF downloadable from the NASEM Press website, but I am thrilled I sprung for the $70 full-color paperback edition, as I will be referencing this for years to come.

This publication is one of two reports produced by the Committee on Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs. The first installment is a research review of the current science on this topic, and its sequel (which I will soon read as well) is a decision framework to aide policymakers and restoration managers in implementing this scientific knowledge as real world applications. This book includes a full list of committee members involved in its production, as well as a complete list of references and glossary section to stimulate additional learning.

The report begins with an introduction on struggles facing current coral reefs such as global climate stressors, disease, local stressors, stress prevention, and future global climate predictions. The following chapters go into detail regarding each type of intervention based on background, current feasibility, potential scale, limitations, and risks to implementing that intervention, as well as infrastructure requirements. Genetic and reproductive interventions include: managed selection and breeding, gamete and larval capture and seeding, coral cryopreservation, and genetic manipulation. Physiological interventions include: pre-exposure, algal symbiont manipulation, microbiome manipulation, antibiotics, phage therapy, antioxidants, and nutritional supplementation. Coral population and community interventions involve managing coral predators, competitors, and facilitators as well as managed relocation. And lastly but not leastly, environmental interventions involve shading of coral reefs, mixing of cool water, abiotic ocean acidification interventions, and even planting seagrass meadows and macroalgal beds nearby coral reefs to try and stimulate local increased CO2 capture.

While some of the work being done in the Indo-Pacific and on the Great Barrier Reef is mentioned, most of the committee's expertise is centered on the South Florida and Caribbean coral reefs. As such, the intended audience is most likely researchers and policymakers operating in the United States and Caribbean. Furthermore, I think the environmental interventions chapter was the weakest because it was the shortest and had the least amount of references, which reflects the lack of this kind of expertise on the committee and the viability of these options being effective in the field. Readers get a sense that the committee included a paragraph about cool water mixing, for instance, because they felt they had to mention it but do not actually believe it is feasible for intervention management.

Overall, this is an invaluable resource for coral reef researchers, enthusiasts, divers, managers, coral restoration organizers, and policymakers. This is an informative study for those who already understand how important conserving coral reefs is, so this might not be for general public members who have little or no prior knowledge on the subject matter. I will be recommending this widely to fellow students, divers, researchers, and professors.

[Ewout Knoester · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete and well-structured review on the full-range of coral reef restoration techniques being applied and explored, only the topic of coral gardening (integral to most other techniques discussed) was somewhat scattered and underexposed.