WHY IS IMPORTANT TO RESTORE REEFS?
“Ecological restoration is defined as the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed.”
The most widely used method for the ecological restoration of coral reefs is “coral gardening”. This method involves the cultivation of coral fragments in specially designed nurseries, varying in techniques and forms, according to species and objectives. In the nursery, the small fragments grow protected from sedimentation, algal overgrowth and predation. Once the fragments reach a desired size, they are transplanted to the reef, in order to rehabilitate the damaged area.
The success of ecological restoration is characterized by:
