Once destined for raw bars, 5 million oysters are being rerouted to coastal restoration efforts

The island of Mauritius off the coast of Africa was once a prime destination for fishing and healthy coral reefs. However, the region deteriorated due to issues plaguing many coastal communities such as overfishing and population growth. To turn things around, marine protected areas and stricter regulations were implemented and are slowly proving to have a positive impact.

In the mid-1990s, a small fishing community in Baja California Sur stopped fishing to give their depleted reef a chance to recover. Thirty years later, Cabo Pulmo National Park stands as one of the most documented cases of marine conservation success in the world. Scientific monitoring confirmed a 463% increase in marine biomass within a decade of protection. Drawing on this evidence, marine scientists have developed the Marine Prosperity Areas (MPpAs) framework, a replicable model that integrates ecological restoration with community well-being.

Coral reefs play a vital role in the ecosystem, but are facing a dire future in many parts of the world. In Jamaica, however, "grassroots-run coral nurseries and fish sanctuaries" have been established over the last decade, which has helped bring reefs in this area back to life.

Bonaire's coral reef is one of the few in the world that is thriving, rather than dying. Thanks to a combination of local efforts, such as reef maintenance and restoration as well as rules that limit fishermen and divers, the reef is proving to be a model for other regions that are struggling.

Adapting to climate change in coastal areas means adjusting local fishing and cultivation practices. Residents of Velondriake, a locally managed marine area in southern Madagascar, have introduced seaweed and algae farming as an alternative to fishing. With the help of Blue Ventures, an NGO based in the UK, and the University of Toliara, residents are monitoring their ecosystem and finding new markets for their harvests.

This is a column on an important new development program in use in at least 40 developing countries: give the poor cash payments, contingent on their use of health clinics and their children’s school attendance, to help break the cycle of poverty.

In Maine, Atlantic Sea Farms is harvesting kelp while helping lobster farmers diversify their income in preparation for climate change effects. The farm provides free kelp seed to its farmers and promises a buyback guarantee for everything they grow. At the same time, the kelp removes carbon and nitrogen to help mitigate climate change effects warming the water.

Enaleia pays fishing crews a small monthly fee, between $30-$90 depending on how much plastic they can bring in along with their catch. The funding comes from local foundations as well as large international donors including the Ocean Conservancy, Nestlé and Pfizer. Some of the waste, including recovered fishing nets, is sold to sustainable clothing manufacturers, and the money is invested back into the fishing crews. More than half of Greece’s large-scale fishing fleet, which includes hundreds of ships, has signed up for the program.

In Jamaica, locally-led coral nurseries are working to restore the coral reef that have been lost to natural and manmade disasters. These organizations have small coral gardens where they can grow free of danger and when they’re big enough, are transported to a reef. With coral and fish being so codependent in the underwater ecosystem, the regrowth of coral has meant an increase of fish and fishing for the country, which many people rely on for their livelihood.

To protect the health of Belize's coral reefs and fish populations, the tiny country has implemented restrictions around where and who can fish commercially. This managed access program divides the region's territorial waters into nine different zones and so far has resulted in a decline in illegal fishing.