Abstract

In 2014 Oceanus and its partners began implementing a Regional Reef Restoration Program (RRP) with special emphasis on recovering no-take areas to promote recovery of associated species of fish and invertebrates. Restoration techniques developed by Oceanus involve the construction of nurseries planted with coral fragments at selected sites at the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean, and the transplant of thousands of colonies every year. As coral restoration is labor intensive, the Program includes community involvement for various purpouses: (i) To secure local buy-in for setting up monitoring and scaling up of coral nurseries; (ii) to build local capacities for the continued engagement of local volun-teers and personnel; (iii) to promote economic benefit in the short term for the participants and; (iv) for self-sustainability of the progam. Community involvement is managed through a Guide Certification Program. The first restoration community group was trained in Xcalak, Quintana Roo, a small fishing community inside a marine protected area. Participants have received training in restoration techniques and are now carrying out activities montly based on a 5-year strategic program, with the objective of trasplanting at least 1000 colonies every year. To promote economic benefit, they have consolidated a group that will be focus on restoration activities as part of their tourist services, improving infrastructure and service. This initiative is planned to be replicated in the different sites where the RRP is carried out. The consolidation of local restora-tion teams will help to multiply efforts, increasing restoration sites for recovery of the ecosystem, and generating in paralell, benefits to the comunity and a strategy for self-sustainability of the Program

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