Coral Reef Restoration
Puerto Rico + The Caribbean.
ISER Caribe has been working on an ecosystem-based approach to coral reef restoration since the development of the sea urchin nurseries for Diadema antillarum in 2015. Ecosystem-based restoration is an approach that incorporates the restoration of important organisms, such as herbivorous sea urchins and crabs, along with corals to restore balance to coral reef ecosystems and restore both physical structure and ecological function. Since the development of the sea urchin nursery, we have expanded our restoration efforts to include 8 species of corals, 3 species of sea urchins and the Caribbean king crab. We grow our marine organisms at our land-based nurseries (CIROM), and in-situ nurseries before out planting them on degraded coral reefs for restoration.
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Other coral reef restoration work of ours includes efforts to understand and mitigate disturbances that have negatively impacted coral reefs such as the Diadema antillarum die-offs, coral bleaching, and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). Future plans for our coral reef restoration efforts include looking into the resilience and adaptability of corals to climate change. We plan to track which wild or out planted coral colonies survive bleaching events and disease, the collection of genetic information on these coral colonies, and using these results to focus our restoration efforts on the hardiest coral colonies.
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We could not have done this work without the support of our many funders and partners, which include: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Department of Marine Sciences, Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the United Stated Fish and Wildlife Service HJR Reefscaping, Isla Mar Research Expeditions, Sea Ventures, Puerto Rico Sea Grant, Puerto Rico Surfrider, Mote Marine Labs, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Puerto Morelos, the State of Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources, Sociedad Ambiente Marino, and Aquatic Innovations.
Current Projects
1
Caribbean Reef Project: Multi-strategic approaches to scaling-up ecosystem-based restoration to improve coral reef recovery and resilience around Puerto Rico
The overall goal of the Caribbean Reef Project is to restore 5 acres of coral reef in Puerto Rico with an ecosystem-based approach that restores not only corals but also the herbivores that are essential to coral reef health. Specifically, we plan to restore 6 coral reefs located in Fajardo, La Parguera and Rincón through outplanting 20,000 coral fragments, 1,600 sea urchin, and 100 crabs at each site. This project also allows us to expand the capacity of our land-based nurseries and in-situ nurseries at both CIROM facilities, and facilities and enhance operations. The Caribbean Reef project will also include a number of outreach and educational aspects including the creation and distribution of coast specific coral reef guidebooks, stakeholder workshops and instructional videos on restoration techniques, a short documentary film on coral restoration with screenings throughout the island, and volunteer restoration events with decision makers throughout Puerto Rico. This project is in partnerships with coral reef organizations throughout Puerto Rico and the Caribbean including: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Department of Marine Sciences, Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, HJR Reefscaping, Isla Mar Research Expeditions, Sea Ventures, Puerto Rico Sea Grant, Puerto Rico Surfrider, Mote Marine Labs, Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales Puerto Morelos, the State of Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources, and Aquatic Innovations. This project runs from 2023 through 2027 and is funded by NOAA.
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RAAK-PRO Diadema project
ISER Caribe is collaborating with University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein, PI), STENAPA
(St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation), Saba Conservation Foundation, Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University, Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute, University of Applied Sciences HZ, Wortel Product Design and Golden Rock Dive Center to determine settlement rates post die-off of Diadema antillarum at multiple Caribbean islands, including at multiple sites in Puerto Rico.
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Multi-Site Coral Reef Restoration to Build Resilient Communities in Florida,
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
ISER Caribe will be collaborating with the Coral Reef Foundation (Principal Investigator) to collect genetic material and create a database of our resilient and resistant coral colonies in the nurseries. We collected genetic material from wild Acropora palmata colonies that survived the 2023/2024 bleaching event, and also Apal colonies rescued and are currently being held in our nurseries. Having this genetic information will help our program understand the population dynamics of these corals we are restoring but also aid in the design and implementation of our restoration efforts. This project runs from 2024 through 2027 and is funded by NOAA and Coral Reef Foundation.
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Restoration Road Maps: Improving coral reef restoration and capacity of managers in the Caribbean and MPAConnect Network
ISER Caribe is partnering with AGRRA (Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment, PI) and MPAConnect to build regional capacity in restorative aquaculture among Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers across the Caribbean. In summer 2024, we hosted a one-week, hands-on training at our land-based nurseries in Puerto Rico, where marine park managers, NGO practitioners, and private-sector partners (including dive operators) received intensive instruction in ecosystem-based coral reef restoration. The training emphasized integrated approaches that pair coral propagation with herbivore restoration to rebuild reef function.
Since the workshop, ISER has continued providing technical guidance and mentorship to collaborators throughout the region to support the development and scaling of herbivore restoration and grow-out programs. In parallel, support from the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) has enabled several ISER staff members to participate in advanced partner trainings in Mexico focused on coral sexual propagation and coral cryopreservation, strengthening our internal capacity and regional knowledge exchange.
Building on these efforts, ISER will work with AGRRA and MPAConnect to develop science-based, management-relevant Restoration Roadmaps tailored to the needs of managers within the MPAConnect Network. These roadmaps will translate best available science into actionable restoration planning tools to support long-term reef resilience across the Caribbean. This collaborative project runs from 2024 through 2027 and is funded by CORDAP.
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Acropora palmata Genetic Rescue and Ex-Situ Gene Banking
As ocean temperatures rise and marine ecosystems face unprecedented stress, scientists are racing against time to preserve the species most at risk of collapse. In response to the global decline of corals, a conservation strategy once considered futuristic, known as “biobanking,” is emerging as a powerful tool to safeguard biodiversity and ensure that restoration is possible even as environmental pressures intensify. Biobanking involves the collection, preservation, and long-term storage of biological material such as sperm, eggs, tissue samples, or live coral fragments. These collections serve as genetic libraries that can be used to repopulate or genetically strengthen species in the future. Although biobanking has been used for decades in medicine and agriculture, its application in marine conservation is relatively new and, due to climate change, urgently needed. Once abundant in the Caribbean and vital to reef building, Acropora palmata, also known as elkhorn coral, has suffered a dramatic population collapse due to disease, bleaching, and storm damage. Its decline has been so severe that it is now listed as “Threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, with some populations nearing endangered status. The loss of this species has profound ecological consequences: elkhorn coral provides reef structure, coastal protection, and habitat for countless marine organisms. To help protect this species, the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research (ISER Caribe) has launched a new and ambitious collaboration with Sea Ventures, supported by funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At the Marine Organism Research and Restoration Centers (CIROM) of ISER Caribe, staff will maintain a diverse collection of A. palmata genotypes collected from different regions of Puerto Rico. The goal of this initiative is twofold: 1) to preserve the genetic diversity of the species, including rare and potentially resilient genotypes that may have natural resistance to bleaching or disease, and 2) to create a sustainable supply for future restoration, ensuring that corals cultivated in nurseries reflect a broad genetic diversity and not just a few surviving lineages. Funded by Sea Ventures and NOAA.
Completed Projects
1
Re-stocking of the keystone herbivore species, Diadema antillarum, to reduce algal overgrowth (Phase III)
The goal of this project is to release 600 laboratory-reared Diadema antillarum to two coral reefs in Fajardo, Cayo Largo North and Palomino North. The benthic composition will be monitored before and during and afterwards after the release of urchins. This project runs from 2022 through 2024 and is funded by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and PR Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER).
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Development of Land Based Nursery for Diadema antillarum in Northeast Puerto Rico
The first installment of these funds allowed us to develop the second land-based sea urchin nursery in Puerto Rico at CIROM Ceiba. With these renewed funds, the goal for 2023-2024 is to continue producing Diadema antillarum for restoration efforts on the east coast of Puerto Rico. In addition, we will also identify hotspots of Diadema settlement. This new amendment of this project runs from 2023 through 2024 and is funded by US Fish and Wildlife Service and PR DNER.
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Developing a land-based coral nursery to increase the capacity for coral restoration at scale in the northeast region of Puerto Rico
These funds will allow us to expand CIROM Ceiba and develop the first land-based coral nursery in the east coast of Puerto Rico. The objective of this project is to produce coral microfragments for coral reef restoration efforts in the east coast, especially in Culebra Island. We are teaming up with Sociedad Ambiente Marino and PR DNER to also outplant coral microfragments and Diadema antillarum at two sites in Culebra. This project runs from 2022 to 2024 and is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
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Nursery Resiliency
This project increases the resiliency of both Center’s for the Investigation and Restoration of Marine Organisms (CIROM in Spanish) facilities, where the land based nurseries are located, to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and power outages, all of which are common in Puerto Rico. We will be installing a solar energy system at the CIROM facility in La Parguera, and increasing the capacity of the solar system at the CIROM facility in Ceiba. We will also improve the water quality at both CIROM facilities in order to increase survivorship of corals and herbivores in the nurseries, and promote growth of the organisms. This project runs from 2023 to 2024 and is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
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Puerto Rico Coral Reef Restoration Action Plan and Monitoring plan
The aim of the Puerto Rico Coral Reef Restoration Action Plan (Restoration Action Plan) is to guide coral reef restoration in Puerto Rico from 2025 to 2035. Decisions for the Restoration Action Plan were made by a Core Team of local and national government agency personnel and based on the best available science and comments from Technical Advisors and facilitated by ISER. The Monitoring Plan outlines the required metrics to measure success in the Restoration Action Plan.
Funded by NOAA and the Nature Conservancy, this project took place from 2024 to 2025.
Puerto Rico Coral Reef Restoration Action Plan
Monitoring Plan
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Phase I, Design at San Juan Metro Coral Reef Barrier Restoration Project
This project will create a hybrid reef system comprised of artificial structures and live corals at two sites at the San Juan Barrier Reef. At site A, a combination of artificial coral-like hybrid cement structure with live corals will be placed along a five-kilometer area approximately 0.8 kilometers off the coast of San Juan, at site B a multi-segmented boulder reef will be placed 150 meters from the shoreline of Condado Beach. The combined grey and green infrastructure will act as natural breakwaters that adapt to sea level rise in the long term and provide immediate wave energy attenuation, thereby reducing the risk of coastal flooding, erosion, and dangerous riptides. This wave attenuation system will provide robust mitigation benefits while also conserving ecosystem value and functions. This is a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations in Puerto Rico, and Phase I of II has been completed. ISER will help collect the baseline data needed for the modeling and aid in the development of the restoration plan for the area.
Funded by FEMA and Tetra Tech, this project ran from 2023 through 2025.