Review and state of the art for ecological restoration of coral reefs

Abstract

Coral reefs are important coastal ecosystems for both humans and marine species due to the diversity of ecosystem services they provide. Unfortunately, and as a consequence of anthropogenic and natural factors these ecosystems are disappearing. To mitigate coral reef degradation and potential loss, several active and passive conservation strategies have been implemented. Active strategies imply the direct intervention of humans in the ecosystem. Ecological restoration (ER) is an active strategy recently used in marine ecosystems. However, since the 1980s, different methodologies have been designed and implemented to mitigate threats and recover degraded coral reefs. Currently, although still under development, the most used ER methodologies on coral reefs are coral rearing through asexual and sexual propagation, and double restoration. This paper presents a general description of coral reef ER. It begins with characteristics of reef building corals ER methods and experiences, and ends with recommendations for those who want to develop and implement ER processes on coral reefs.

Keywords

• Corales escleractíneos
• Tensores arrecifales
• Deterioro arrecifal
• Propagación asexual y sexual
• Restauración doble