Treading the Waters of Coral Conservation

Artist Statement:

      Are coral nurseries and artificial reefs the key to conserving and restoring our coral reefs? What ecological impact do these methods have?

      It is estimated that by 2050, less than 30 years from now, 90% of our coral reefs will be destroyed if action is not taken. However, to combat this looming threat created by climate change, some researchers have considered conservation efforts to help mitigate the issues. Coral nurseries and artificial reefs are the most popular methods to save our reefs. Almost 50% of all reef restoration projects and studies are coral nurseries, and artificial reefs are 20% of the projects. Both have 60-70% survival rates, making them ideal for research and reef conservation. Nevertheless, how are these methods conserving our reefs?

      Coral nurseries grow coral from the original microfragmentaion to coral gardening, where the fragments grow to a premature or mature phase before being moved to a nursery to grow and mature further or outplanted onto a coral reef with many other mature corals to grow and create and new reef. An artificial reef uses mature coral on a humanmade structure to build a reef on the structure, but artificial reefs can also occur on their own on shipwrecks or lost metal or stone pieces.

      The ecological impact of these newly formed reefs is significant as it creates a new ecosystem. This new coral reef, whether replacing one that has died or constructing an entirely new one, makes a food source and protection for fish while limiting wave energy, thus causing erosion and coastline impact. No adverse impacts were discussed during my research, likely because restoring and conserving reefs does not take anything away from current ocean ecology but only adds to it. Some may argue that increasing coral reef restoration projects will increase the number of smaller fish in the ocean, which could affect the food web; however, coral reefs benefit all organisms, from bacteria to apex predators, so it is unlikely that additional coral reefs would cause a severe negative effect on the ocean's ecology. Additionally, most conservation projects focus on restoring existing reefs and need help to become healthy again.

      What does coral reef conservation have to do with social justice?

      Coral reefs are dying due mainly to climate change. Climate change causes ocean acidification and warming, changing the water quality and creating suboptimal living conditions for coral, microorganisms, and aquatic animals. Climate change has been a social justice topic for almost 20 years, and climate change policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution would greatly benefit reefs. Greenhouse gas emissions, specifically carbon dioxide, mainly contribute to ocean warming and acidification. However, climate change is not the only social injustice reef conservationists see. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) tend to be more significantly impacted by climate change and coral reef loss.

      Reef conservation is expensive and has limited funding. Most of the funding comes from government or university grants, but to have access to these, the research needs to be in the country where the grant was given. This limits LMIC access to reef conservation and restoration projects. While some nonprofits will work in LMIC and focus on involving the community in restoration and maintenance, many worry that these reefs will only last for a while.

      Unfortunately, LMICs tend to have more significant pollution due to their location, access (or lack of access) to clean drinking water, and food (cheaper food tends to be prepackaged). Due to climate change and pollution impacts, the water quality may be poor and not conducive to coral growth. However, these LMICs are more susceptible to large storms and severe weather patterns without the reefs, impacting homes, food sources, and drinking water. For this reason, some conservationists want to focus their work on reefs near LMICs, but if the reefs do not survive, it can be hard to justify the cost. Money talks and money guides aid, so conservation actions can often only be taken if there is money to help with the expenses in each location. Not all hope is lost, though, as some organizations focus on teaching LMIC communities sustainable fishing practices and reef conservation and maintenance to allow the reefs the best chance of survival.

      Through my research, I better understand coral reef conservation and its importance to the world. I have also learned how reefs can impact local communities and their way of life and how hard it is for many of these communities to get help restoring their reefs. Reef conservation is something I am interested in pursuing further in my future, and I hope that we can find a solution so we can stop "treading water" in our fight to keep them alive and instead push the ecosystem to survive "swimmingly."

Works Cited:

Bayraktarov, Elisa, et al. "Motivations, Success, and Cost of Coral Reef Restoration." Restoration Ecology, vol. 27, no. 5, Sept. 2019, pp. 981-91, https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12977. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Dehnert, Inga, et al. "Ecological Impacts of Coral Gardening Outplanting in the Maldives." Restoration Ecology, vol. 31, no. 1, Jan. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13783. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

"Hacking Evolution to Grow Super Coral." YouTube, uploaded by Freethink, 18 June 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=z91BwhIPMJ0. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

"How Does Coral Restoration Work?" YouTube, uploaded by Waterlust, 16 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytXM5IKva0g. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Linden, B., and B. Rinkevich. "Creating Stocks of Young Colonies from Brooding Coral Larvae, Amenable to Active Reef Restoration." Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 398, nos. 1-2, 28 Feb. 2011, pp. 40-46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2010.12.002. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

"Restoring Florida's Dying Coral Reefs | Refurbished | Insider." YouTube, uploaded by Insider, 18 Feb. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceAlK_Fw8ZQ. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Voolstra, Christian R., et al. "Mitigating the Ecological Collapse of Coral Reef Ecosystems: Effective Strategies to Preserve Coral Reef Ecosystems." EMBO Reports, vol. 24, no. 4, 5 Apr. 2023, https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202356826. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

"What Are the Different Types of Coral Restoration?" YouTube, uploaded by Conservation Diver, 23 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AulGmMAiAE. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.