Motivations, success, and cost of coral reef restoration

Coral reef restoration is an increasingly important part of tropical marine conservation. Information about what motivates coral reef restoration as well as its success and cost is not well understood but is needed to inform restoration decisions. We systematically review and synthesize data from mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Restoration ecology 2019-09, Vol.27 (5), p.981-991
Main Authors: Bayraktarov, Elisa, Stewart‐Sinclair, Phoebe J., Brisbane, Shantala, Boström‐Einarsson, Lisa, Saunders, Megan I., Lovelock, Catherine E., Possingham, Hugh P., Mumby, Peter J., Wilson, Kerrie A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artificial reefs
Coral reef restoration
Coral reefs
Corals
costs
Duration
Ecological monitoring
Gardening
Marine conservation
Marine invertebrates
Motivation
motivations
Nursery grounds
project duration
project spatial extent
Restoration
Spatial analysis
Substrates
Surveying
Survival
survival of restored corals
Tropical climate
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Summary:Coral reef restoration is an increasingly important part of tropical marine conservation. Information about what motivates coral reef restoration as well as its success and cost is not well understood but is needed to inform restoration decisions. We systematically review and synthesize data from mostly scientific studies published in peer‐reviewed and gray literature on the motivations for coral reef restoration, the variables measured, outcomes reported, the cost per hectare of the restoration project, the survival of restored corals, the duration of the project, and its overall spatial extent depending on the restoration technique employed. The main motivation to restore coral reefs for the projects assessed was to further our ecological knowledge and improve restoration techniques, with coral growth, productivity, and survival being the main variables measured. The median project cost was 400,000 US$/ha (2010 US$), ranging from 6,000 US$/ha for the nursery phase of coral gardening to 4,000,000 US$/ha for substrate addition to build an artificial reef. Restoration projects were mostly of short duration (1–2 years) and over small spatial extents (0.01 ha or 108 m2). Median reported survival of restored corals was 60.9%. Future research to survey practitioners who do not publish their discoveries would complement this work. Our findings and database provide critical data to inform future research in coral reef restoration.
ISSN:1061-2971
1526-100X
DOI:10.1111/rec.12977