To safeguard established coral reefs, look to coral nurseries Photos courtesy of Greg Asner. When imagining corals, the picture that comes to
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
mind is usually a stationary one, looking something
The ‘Āko‘ako‘a Reef Restoration Program, a
like a garden of rock-like structures covering sections
regional effort that fuses cultural leadership,
of the ocean floor. Reef conservation efforts as we
multimodal education, advanced science and
recognize them today typically focus on preserving
government engagement, backed the research.
these established coral reefs, but new research suggests that these conservation efforts may be missing a crucial piece of the puzzle: coral larvae.
Rachel Carlson, an ASU affiliate scientist and the study’s first author, collaborated on the project with Greg Asner, director of ASU’s Center for
A study that took place near Miloli‘i, in the
Global Discovery and Conservation Science;
southwestern part of the island of Hawaii, shows
Larry Crowder, professor of oceans at Stanford
that identifying and protecting marine ecosystems
University; and Robin Martin, associate professor
both down current and up current of coral reefs,
with the ASU School of Ocean Futures in the
specifically areas where coral larvae are more
Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.
likely to survive and thrive, is crucial to future coral conservation and restoration efforts. This is especially true as reefs face increasing pressure from the devastating effects of climate change.
Carlson said this type of collaborative work — partnerships combining local, Indigenous knowledge and Western science — is crucial to mapping out a future that ensures the survival of coral populations.
The research, completed by Arizona State University scientists and their collaborators, appears in the 7