Chapters authored
Coral Reef Resilience Index for Novel Ecosystems: A Spatial Planning Tool for Managers and Decision Makers - A Case Study from Puerto Rico
Timely information is critical for coral reef managers and decision-makers to implement sustainable management measures. A Coral Reef Resilience Index (CRRI) was developed with a GIS-coupled decision-making tool applicable for Caribbean coral reef ecosystems. The CRRI is based on a five-point scale parameterized from the quantitative characterization of benthic assemblages. Separate subindices such as the Coral Index, the Threatened Species Index, and the Algal Index also provide specific information regarding targeted benthic components. This case study was based on assessments conducted in 2014 on 11 reef sites located across 3 geographic zones and 3 depth zones along the southwestern shelf of the island of Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea. There was a significant spatial and bathymetric gradient (p < 0.05) in the distribution of CRRI values indicating higher degradation of inshore reefs. Mean global CRRI ranged from 2.78 to 3.17 across the shelf, ranking them as “fair.” The Coral Index ranged from 2.60 to 3.76, ranking reefs from “poor” to “good,” showing a general cross-shelf trend of improving conditions with increasing distance from pollution sources. Turbidity and ammonia were significantly correlated to CRRI scores. Multiple recommendations are provided based on coral reef conditions according to observed CRRI rankings.
Part of the book: Corals in a Changing World
Multi-disciplinary Lessons Learned from Low-Tech Coral Farming and Reef Rehabilitation: II. Coral Demography and Social-Ecological Benefits
Low-tech coral farming and reef rehabilitation have become important tools to foster community-based participation in the management of coastal social-ecological systems. Lessons learned from coral demographic dynamics, ecosystem-level benefits, and sociological dynamics achieved in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, are discussed. Important gaps regarding social-ecological interactions are also addressed. Coral reef rehabilitation efforts must be adaptive and focused on maximizing resilience as a long-term goal, with emphasis on managing non-linear dynamics, thresholds, environmental and climate uncertainty, and ecological surprises. In this context, coral demographic modelling becomes fundamental to address, not only ecological, but also sociological concerns. Only through sustained support and input of harvested corals restored populations, and by increasing the spatial scale of reef rehabilitation, restored populations can remain viable and grow under present and projected environmental and climate conditions. Understanding sociological dynamics, learning from others experiences, integrating visioning and scenario building, leadership building, multi-sectorial agents and actor groups, and strengthening cross-sectorial social networking are necessary adaptive approaches to cope with future environmental and climate changes, and are an integral part of reef rehabilitation. The combined benefits to social-ecological systems are multiple. With proper planning, design, funding, local support, and implementation, these can have long-lasting impacts in restoring coastal resilience.
Part of the book: Corals in a Changing World
Multi-Disciplinary Lessons Learned from Low-Tech Coral Farming and Reef Rehabilitation: I. Best Management Practices
Low-tech coral farming and reef rehabilitation have become important community-based 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 multi-disciplinary 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.
Part of the book: Corals in a Changing World