Implementation and fine-tuning of technologies and methods to propagate corals
Settlement of coral larvae on especially designed substrates
Lorenzo Mittiga
Collection of coral spawning from outplanted staghorn corals
Lorenzo Mittiga
Monitoring the larva development and settlement
Lorenzo Mittiga
Larval propagation is a restoration method that assists coral sexual reproduction to increase the genetic diversity of corals. This technique can be used with numerous coral species and morphologies and, because of the large production of gametes during spawning events, it has the potential to scale up the number of outplanted corals on the reef. RRFB uses innovative technologies to reduce the labor, and handling time and increase the survivorship of coral larvae at large scales. After assisting fertilization, recently formed embryos are poured into floating pools (CRIB, Coral rearing in-situ Basin) designed by SECORE Int., where larvae settlement is facilitated on specially designed substrates which are then outplanted on the reef.
The presence of healthy spawning coral colonies in Bonaire provides gametes to kick-start larval propagation.
The establishment of a strong partnership with SECORE International with a shared vision for coral reef restoration.
The support from the local diving community.
The involvement of a strong team of motivated and committed people.
The support from the local government and the non-governmental organization of STINAPA, allowing the restoration activities to take place within Bonaire National Marine Park boundaries.
Begin implementing techniques on a small scale to account for varying local environmental conditions and find the most suitable locations for application
Set-up first trials using predictable and “easy to work with” coral species
Adapt larval propagation techniques to local conditions, resources availability and priorities
Blue Parks relies heavily on collaborations with other conservation NGOs, communications and marketing professionals, government leaders, MPA managers, scientists, and local ocean champions. Growing the network of Blue Parks and amplifying the Blue Park standard for conservation effectiveness requires many partners.
Blue Parks has benefitted from the contributions of many partners. These collaborations have been made possible by a growing awareness that MPA coverage alone is not sufficient to safeguard biodiversity -- that we need to fully implement high quality MPAs in order to see conservation outcomes, and most MPAs are not yet well implemented.
These collaborations have also grown out of Marine Conservation Institute's long-standing history as a trusted partner among marine scientists, conservation organizations, and governments.
Nurturing collaborations across multiple sectors (government, NGO, academia) requires clear communication. We have found that regular, though not too frequent, outreach and communication with these partners keeps the collaborations active, and that these communications are most effective when they are designed for the audience, so we often send separate communications to partners in different sectors.
At the heart of Blue Parks is an incentive to improve MPA quality. Governments receive international attention for announcing big new MPA designations; they also need positive feedback for making good on those promises and implementing MPAs well. Being incentive-based, the initiative is focused on success stories of marine conservation and inspires governments, MPA managers, communities, and NGO partners to consider the possibility of excellence and the recognition that comes with excellence.
To be successful as an incentive to improve MPA quality, the Blue Park Awards must be well-known and desireable. Governments, MPA managers, community leaders, and NGO partners must want the award. To build this incentive, we offer a cash prize alongside the award, we make the award announcements at high-profile international meetings so that high-level government officials and compelling community leaders may participate in accepting the award, and we amplify the award announcement through press releases and online media outlets.
We have learned two important lessons -- the first is that conservation successes receive too little fanfare -- MPA managers, in particular, are so grateful for Blue Parks' recognition of their hard work. The second is that a small science-based organization is not well-positioned with the capacity for "brand building" -- we have relied heavily on partnerships to market Blue Parks (one of the other key building blocks of Blue Parks).
International Scientific Expertise - The Blue Parks Science Council
Incentive to improve MPA quality
Collaboration
Elaborate follow-up activities early in the process
Participants during group exercise
GIZ
The effectiveness of training is increased if follow-up with participants is ensured. This allows the organisers to check on the feasibility of follow-on activities discussed during the training and can account for the follow-up needs[NM1] of the participants. Follow-up activities can range from webinars to on-site activities in the respective countries
[NM1]Needs: unclear. = if something has not been understood or if there are follow up questions, or resources needed or something of the sort?
If so: see suggestion for possible re-formulation.
To design appropriate follow-up activities, the content of the training needs to be defined (see Building Block 2). The diversity of activities also depends on the support structure in the countries. If partner (health or climate) projects are in place in the respective participating countries, this allows for greater diversity in follow-up activities that can be conducted.
Consideration to possible follow-up activities should be given already during the planning process;
It is advisable to launch a survey to ask for participants interest and preference;
The creation of a What’s App Group is a quick, easy and cost-effective way to stay in touch with participants and continuously share relevant documents and news with them.
Training on an intersectoral topic such as climate change and health is more challenging for participants because their academic and practical background knowledge might not cover both topics. The training will likely cover a lot of new information for each participant. Given the complexity of the topic, it is even more important to develop and utilise a wide range of methodological approaches to maintain energy levels and focus during the training.
Interactive and innovative methods require good preparation from the presenters. It is often necessary to prepare aids or specific content. Using some methods can be challenging for participants who have never encountered them before and may take more time than originally anticipated.
Add several animated or guided group work sessions
For example: divide participants into different subgroups (i.e. by disease type: vector-borne, water and foodborne, airborne, zoonotic, direct impact) and have them work out which diseases to choose, how to investigate the link (vulnerability assessment), and how to adapt to climate impacts (national public health adaptation planning)
Refrain from lengthy reports that repeat the previous day's content; instead, ask questions in the form of a group game (quiz);
Share slides and summaries so participants can interact more freely and don't feel the urge to note everything down;
Use a different icebreaker each day so the group gets to know each other better;
Schedule site visits, guest lectures, and organise poster presentations to be held by participants.
The relationship between climate change and health is very complex, as many different fields come together at this intersection. The training experience showed that there is a need to tailor the training to the participants. This should be based on the previous knowledge of the participants, their professional position and the general level of implementation of climate and health activities in their respective countries.
Based on the experience utilizing the training manual in practice, several customized formats are conceivable:
Beginner and advanced level training formats;
Thematic training: introduction to the scientific link between health and climate change;
Policy training: in-depth exercises to develop core policy documents such as a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and a national public health adaptation plan;
Climate governance training: analysis of the Ministry of Health's respective positions on climate – identifying how to integrate climate issues into health policy, how to develop climate policy documents, learning about possible coordination mechanisms, highlighting the international mechanisms on climate change, how to mainstream climate issues in the Ministry of Health
The success of tailoring the training depends on the information available at the preparation level and the skills and flexibility of the trainer. Prior questionnaires for participants can help determine their interest and prior experience. The trainer should have knowledge of climate change, health, hydrometeorology, and the environment, as well as being proficient in the core documents of the fields. Since this is a rare profile, determining the goal of the training early on also makes it easier to find a suitable trainer.
Potential instructors must be very experienced as the manual covers several different topics;
Using the 16 modules of this training in 5 days is too much content and leaves little time to apply more diverse training methods;
Objectives should be clearly stated from the very beginning of the process;
The preparation, coordination and implementation of the training requires a dedicated support team in the hosting country with enough time, personnel and budget resources.
Archireef leverages the latest technologies in 3D printing to create artificial habitats that are truly ocean-friendly. With the algorithm-based adaptiveness and 3D printer’s versatility, our reef tiles have been proven 4 times more effective in keeping the corals alive than conventional methods, securing 95% of coral survivorship.
Most, if not all, players in the coral restoration industry involve the use of harmful materials such as concrete blocks and metal rebars. We use clay, which is a truly ocean-friendly material that is non-toxic to the ocean. We are also able to tweak the design of our biomimicry pattern based on the growth form of local species, allowing a 4X higher effectiveness in restoration success.
With full control over our R&D (via a hub in Hong Kong) and our production (via a facility in Abu Dhabi), we have established a strong basis for both new product development and full scale commercialisation. With this in mind, our 2025 goal is to expand our footprint to 10 large restoration sites across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Internationally, coral restoration and biodiversity are still lacking behind in terms of certification and uniform verification / measurement standards. To address this issue, we adopt eDNA - environmental DNA - to measure biodiversity, though in the long run, international standards would definitely increase our recognition and perceived reliability.
Our Chief Scientist and Co-founder Dr David Baker is also an Associate Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong, as well as a multi-disciplinary marine ecologist with a focus on coral reef species. He leads our scientific team to develop a robust methodolgy to measure and monitor the impacts of our restoration work using science-backed methodologies such as eDNA.
eDNA approaches require much less effort in terms of human resources and time. Water and sediment samples can be procured easily, and stored indefinitely. Data analysis does not require any special taxonomic expertise. It is therefore presumed that eDNA biodiversity monitoring will become the norm in the future, once good regional databases for biodiversity are established.
