Scaling Up Coral Reef Restoration Using Remote Sensing Technology

Shawna A Foo,Gregory P Asner

doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00079

Abstract

Coral reefs face an uncertain future and may not recover naturally from anthropogenic climate change. Coral restoration is needed to rehabilitate degraded reefs and sustain biodiversity. There is a need for baseline data on global reef distribution, composition and condition to provide targets for conservation and restoration. Remote sensing can address this issue and is currently underutilized in reef research and restoration. This synthesis integrates current capabilities of remote sensing with key reef restoration criteria to facilitate coral restoration success. Development of a spectral database for corals, linking habitat type and extent with predator abundance, and identification of species-specific acoustic signatures are needed to drive forward the use of remote sensing in reef restoration design and monitoring. Reciprocally, reef restoration efforts should innovate at ecosystem, regional and global levels using remote sensing, to preserve as much of the coral reef biome as possible with continued ocean-climate change.

Highlights

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing major changes in the land and sea, with variable effects temporally and spatially (Le Quere et al, 2016)
This review focuses on a merging of these two scales, beginning with a description of remote sensing and its application to coral reefs
The use of remote sensing can optimize the process of determining the best site to outplant, by providing complete areal coverage of reef systems and assessments of multiple criteria considered to be key to successful restoration

Summary

Introduction

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing major changes in the land and sea, with variable effects temporally and spatially (Le Quere et al, 2016). According to reef restoration practitioners, the three key factors considered when choosing which reef system to restore are: (1) existing coral cover, (2) available clean substrate, and (3) water depth (Ladd et al, 2018), factors which are all able to be remotely sensed. The use of remote sensing can optimize the process of determining the best site to outplant, by providing complete areal coverage of reef systems and assessments of multiple criteria considered to be key to successful restoration.

Results

Conclusion