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Coral reefs cover only 0.2% of the sea floor and yet are amongst
the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Close to shore
and increasing human activity, they are disappearing rapidly.
Nearly a fifth of all coral reefs have already been lost, a figure
that could rise to above one third of all reefs within the next 20
years (Wilkinson, 2008). In addition to the long term and per-
sistent pressures threatening the health of coral reefs, they are
faced with periodic natural events, such as hurricanes, storm
surges and destructive tsunamis.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the region, wiping
out whole communities, as well as infrastructure, of both the
built and natural environment. In the aftermath, the internation-
al community attempted to respond to the many different needs
of the affected countries. The coral reef community, through the
International Coral Reef Initiative and its operational networks
rallied to estimate the scale of the damage and to guide gov-
ernments on the best course of action for sustained recovery
(Wilkinson
et al
, 2006) in areas that depended heavily on their
Too good to be true? The dangers of short cuts to restoration in
coral reefs
coral reefs for the services they provide such as supporting in-
ternational tourism revenue and fisheries, the very things that
underpin the livelihoods of these coastal communities. At a time
where there was great pressure to act fast and rapidly assess
and repair damage, a number of “too good to be true” solutions
arrived on the market claiming to hold the answer to enhance
coral reef recovery. As attractive as these solutions appear (from
artificial reefs, to electric reefs, re-cemented reefs and trans-
plantation) without comprehensive consideration of cost, scale
scientific grounding and relevance these proposals can be inap-
propriate and distract from the principal task of improving man-
agement and reducing the chronic stressors that inhibit natural
regeneration. In response to these concerns, the International
Coral Reef Initiative Resolution developed guidance on artificial
coral reef restoration and rehabilitation as well as assistance to
help implement appropriate restoration of coral reefs.
The full document is available online at
http://www.icriforum.org/sites/de-fault/files/ICRI_resolution_Restoration.pdf.
Photo © Wolcott Henry 2005/Marine Photobank
CASE STUDY #33