Methods of Coral Restoration

Charles Darwin has sometimes been credited as being the world’s first coral restorationist. He realized that corals dislodged by boat grounding or anchors often died after rolling around or being abraded by sand. Using that observation, he theorized that by securing the coral in place, it should recover and regrow.

He tested this hypothesis by pounding wooden sticks into the sand and tying the unsecured coral fragments to it with rope. After observing the corals over time, he determined that the coral not only survived but began to regrow and replace lost tissue areas through the asexual reproduction of coral polyps.

In this lesson, we will cover some of the modern-day techniques we use in place of bamboo and sail rigging. We will cover the differnt approachs to coral restoration and introduce you to the 3-step coral restoration process. Lastly, we will cover the basics of coral nursieres, and what steps we need to consider to maximize the species and genetic diversity in all of our coral restoration efforts.