Incorporating adaptation and resilience into an integrated watershed and coral reef management plan

Changing environmental conditions are forcing natural resource managers and communities to adapt their strategies to account for global shifts in precipitation, temperature, sea level and more, all of which are occurring in addition to local human impacts. Adapting to threats from climate change requires a fundamental shift in the practice of natural resource management through the development of forward-looking “climate-smart” goals and strategies. Here we present a proof-of-concept application of a decision-support tool to help design climate-smart management actions for the watershed and coral reef management plan for Guánica Bay watershed in southwest Puerto Rico. We also explore the connection between adaptation planning and coral reef resilience, using a recently developed Puerto Rico-wide reef resilience assessment. In the first phase of the study, we used the publicly available Adaptation Design Tool to draft initial climate-smart versions of twelve proposed management actions. In the second phase, two actions (dirt road management on steep slopes, and coral reef restoration) were further refined through consultations with local experts to make more detailed design adjustments; this included the option to use information from the coral reef resilience assessment to inform design improvements. The first phase resulted in moderately detailed assessments that broadly accounted for anticipated direct and indirect effects of climate change on the planned management actions. The second phase resulted in more site-specific technical assessments and additional important design details. The expert panel charged with discussing climate-smart reef restoration around Guánica used the reef resilience assessment to guide discussion of reef restoration, highlighting the importance of having such information available for adaptation planning. This study demonstrates how climate change impacts can be effectively incorporated into a management plan at the most granular level of planning and how a structured, formalized process can be as valuable as the resulting adaptation information.

The calcifying interface in a stony coral's primary polyp: An interplay between seawater and an extracellular calcifying space

Stony coral exoskeletons build the foundation to the most biologically diverse yet fragile marine ecosystems on earth, coral reefs. Understanding corals biomineralization mechanisms is therefore crucial for coral reef management and for using coral skeletons in geochemical studies. In this study, we combine in vivo and cryo-electron microscopy with single cell RNA-seq data to gain novel insights into the calcifying micro environment that facilitates biomineralization in primary polyps of the stony coral Stylophora pistillata. We show an intimate involvement of seawater in this micro environment. We further document increased tissue permeability and a highly dispersed cell packing in the tissue secreting the coral skeleton (i.e. calicoblastic). We also observe an extensive filopodial network containing carbon-rich vesicles extruding from some of the calicoblastic cells. Single cell RNA-Seq data interrogation shows that calicoblastic cells express genes involved in filopodia and vesicle structure and function. These observations provide a new conceptual framework for resolving stony corals biomineralization processes.

Collaborative Governance of Coral Reef Management and Rehabilitation in Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Efforts

The tsunami is the biggest threat to countries around the world tectonic plates and the ring of fire, including Indonesia. The impact of economic losses and heavy casualties made the tsunami worth watching out. Ecosystem-based tsunami disaster mitigation efforts are deemed necessary, considering that 2/3 of Indonesia consists of the sea. The coral reef is one of the coastal ecosystems that can reduce tsunami waves by up to 50% before it hits coastal areas. However, the current condition of coral reefs is very alarming due to the actions of irresponsible humans. Collaboration between stakeholders is needed to carry out ecosystem-based tsunami disaster mitigation efforts. Collaborative governance becomes an essential issue in efforts to build and improve services in the public sector by involving all relevant stakeholders. The sectoral ego of the stakeholders is no longer relevant to be maintained because each actor has their strengths and weaknesses. Collaboration between actors framed in a collaboration platform by having a principled engagement, shared motivation, and collective capacity will produce better results.