Abstract

Coral restoration efforts have become accepted widely as an active management tool but still lack a realistic sense of scale, achievable goals, and success indicators. Since the Caribbean acroporids are listed by the IUCN as ‘Critically Endangered’, a general goal of restoration efforts is to prevent their extinction. More specific goals are to restore lost ecosystem services like shoreline protection, fisheries enhancement, biodiversity preservation, and provisioning of aesthetic and economic services for the tourism industry. Continuity is key to ecosystem service values, which requires that the restored coral community be (1) self-sustaining and self-propagating, and (2) resilient against persistent insults. Genetic diversity must be addressed regardless of propagation methods (sexual versus asexual). Longevity may be increased by identifying coral genotypes that are resilient to thermal stress, disease and/or predation. How much genetic diversity is needed? What amount of coral coverage, and placed where, is needed to trigger natural regenerative processes at larger scales? Presented here is eight years of acroporid restoration efforts at Laughing Bird Caye National Park, Belize, where over 11,000 nursery-grown acroporid fragments have been out-planted. Data were acquired on host and algal clade diversity, rates of growth and survival, bleaching history, reproductive (spawning) indicators, methods for measuring live coral cover over time, methods to assess changes in fish biomass and species composition on out-planted sites, and mechanisms to include local community members in the work. We suggest realizable goals and success indicators, offer guidance for expanding restoration efforts to new sites, and recognize Marine Protected Areas as key to coral restoration

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