Restoring Jamaica's lost coral reefs

In the South Indian coast, erosion is leading to disappearing beaches. A study found that this erosion was in part due to man-made structures like a harbor that was built in the late 80s, groynes, and seawalls. These structures were interfering with the natural movement of sand. To fix it, they needed a structure that could block waves but also allow sand movement, the solution? An artificial reef. It was installed and some beaches are already seeing the results.

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.

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.

Algaculture offers a sustainable and empowering alternative to rice farming in coastal areas of India threatened by sea level rise. With the assistance of The Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research and the South Asian Forum for Environment, women engage in algae farming training workshops. Harvesting algae like a crop provides a vital source of additional income to women, who are often the caretakers of their family.

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.

Mangroves can store up six times more carbon than an area equal to the Amazon rainforest. However, they are rapidly declining, over the past century their population has been reduced by 30 to 50 percent. One nonprofit, Blue Ventures, is working with local communities to regenerate fisheries, which helps the mangroves. They're also helping local communities to manage their mangroves.

The Native Conservacy, a Native-owned and Native-led land trust, created a program to support and train Indigenous farmers to create their own kelp farms. Kelp is nutrient-rich, grows in the ocean, and requires no land or fertilizer. The Native Conservancy has seven sites, grew 4,000 pounds of kelp, and helped Indigenous farmers secure low-interest loans so they can start their own operations.

In Puerto Morelos, the 100-mile stretch of the Mesoamerican Reef is insured. The model was born out of a collaboration between the local government, hotel owners, an international NGO, and an insurance behemoth, who got together to create a trust. The trust was funded by the local government which used hotel taxes to pay for the reef's maintenance. 80 percent of the coral in the reef has been lost or degraded since the 1980s, but insuring a natural asset might provide a conservation model for other cities.

In Sri Lanka, instead of letting old buses corrode in a junkyard they are being sunk in the ocean to serve as fish-breeding sites. Over 60 buses have been dumped in the ocean across three different sites. Scientists looked at factors like depth and wave patters to determine where to sink the buses.