Low-Tech, Community-Accessible Method to Restore a Degraded Reef, in Wasini Island, Kenya

Abstract

Coral reefs are among most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth; providing essential services such as supporting fisheries and tourism sectors, thereby contributing to food security, job creation, and economic development. However, around the world coral reefs are in decline and degraded state due to a combination of human and natural factors. Coral reef restoration is seen a tool that can be used to return the dying reefs and increase their resiliency Techniques for active restoration using coral farming and transplantation on artificial reef structures have been well developed and proved to be viable for reef rehabilitation of degraded reefs, yet are rarely practiced. A pilot lowtech, community-accessible reef restoration project was implemented in Wasini community managed area, Kenya. The aim was to rehabilitate degraded reef areas using artificial reef structures. Here, we describe the steps involved in coral rehabilitation and the resulting outcomes. These steps include: 1) local community and other stakeholder mobilization and training, 2) identification of degraded reef areas, 3) Substrate modification and nursery-bed constructions, 4) Raising nursery grown corals, and 5) Coral transplantation on natural denuded reef rocks and concrete blocks, and 6). Monitoring and maintenance of transplanted corals. Our findings show that this community-based coral restoration is successful, with over 77% of corals transplanted on artificial reef structures surviving after one year. Additionally, the fish abundance observed around the concrete reef structures deployed was three-fold compared to the nearby natural reefs. The low-tech, community-accessible method demonstrated here is promising and transferable to communities for application in restoring degraded reef areas with similar conditions.