Coral restoration has exploded in popularity over the last ten years. In the Caribbean alone, there are now over 150 different coral restoration efforts growing and outplanting coral to restore degraded coral reefs. Unfortunately, coral restoration can be expensive, and most of the regions that rely on their coral reefs for the many beneficial services they provide, do not have the resources to undertake such a monumental task. Therefore, my primary research is focused on developing low-tech, scalable solutions that do not require expensive tools or access to a state of the art laboratory.
Water tables
In a land-based nursery, Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata) are fragmented into small pieces and grown in a safe environment until they are ready to outplant back on the reef. While this method has had lots of success, the costs of operating a land-based nursery are extremely high.
vs.
At the University of the Virgin Islands, I’m searching for coral restoration techniques that can be utilized in regions that don’t have the resources for large scale coral nurseries.
Through two separate studies, I’m comparing growth and survival between water table grown corals (expensive but effective) and direct outplants (inexpensive but success is unknown).
Direct Outplanting
Direct outplanting involves fragmenting small pieces from a wild coral colony, and immediately outplanting them back on the reef. If successful, this technique has the potential to drastically cut costs, as once they are outplanted, there is no ongoing maintenance required.
Additional research
VI Reef Response
Virgin Islands Reef Response is the U.S. Virgin Islands leading coral restoration organization. Currently I’m working on numerous projects outplanting coral, building and maintaining in-water and land-based nurseries. partnering with dive shops, and creating ecotourism attractions.
coral monitoring
Through the University of the Virgin Islands, I have worked on many different research projects such as the Territorial, National, and Deep Coral Reef Monitoring Programs. This data helps researchers to better understand the condition over time of U.S. Virgin Islands coral reefs.
