Comparing the efficiency of nursery and direct transplanting methods for restoring endangered corals

Published source details Forrester G.E., Chan M., Conetta D., Dauksis R., Nickles K. & Siravo A. (2019) Comparing the efficiency of nursery and direct transplanting methods for restoring endangered corals. Ecological Restoration, 37, 81-89.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

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	Cultivate coral fragments in an artificial nursery located in a natural habitat Action Link

Cultivate coral fragments in an artificial nursery located in a natural habitat

A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2013–2014 at an artificial nursery in a natural habitat and natural reef site near Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (Forrester et al. 2019), found no difference in survival or growth between wild-grown staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis fragments cultivated in an in-situ nursery in a natural habitat before transplanting or transplanted directly onto the reef, but both had higher survival and growth than fragments placed unattached on the reef. After 15 months, there was no significant difference in survival between nursery-cultivated-then-attached fragments (49%) and directly-attached (58%) but both had higher survival than unattached fragments (7%). Growth was not significantly different between nursery-cultivated fragments (42 cm) and directly-attached (78 cm) but both were higher than unattached (28 cm). In August 2013, loose fragments of staghorn coral (780) were collected from two reefs, measured and randomly assigned to one of three treatments: nursery-cultivated-then-attached (291); directly-attached (306); unattached (183). Nursery-cultivated fragments were tied 25 cm apart to one of seven PVC-frame line-nurseries 5–7 m deep. Direct-transplanted fragments were attached to the substrate using cable ties, and unattached fragments were placed loose on the reef substrate. After three months, nursery-cultivated fragments were transplanted and attached to the reef using cable ties. The length of all live branches was recorded for each fragment using scaled photographs. Survival and growth were monitored after 12, 24, and 64 weeks. Costs: number of survivors and growth/US$ (including e.g. cable ties, and nursery-frame materials, excluding e.g. SCUBA and snorkel equipment). Nursery-cultivated 1.0 survivors, 1.8 cm growth/US$; direct transplant 3.3 survivors, 9.2 cm growth/US$.

(Summarised by: Ann Thornton)