Transplantation — Aceh

OPP-TMC53Tpermanent identifier · cite as oceanportfolio.org/p/OPP-TMC53T

Published as: The role of habitat creation in coral reef conservation: a case study from Aceh, Indonesia | Technique: Transplantation | Disturbance addressed: Tsunami | Genera: Acropora | Method: The artificial reefs consisted of concrete modules placed on the seabed of sand and rubble at depths of 2–9 m. Each module was c. 1.25 m2 and there were c. 260 modules in total. Once oysters had recruited to the blocks, c. 4–6 weeks after immersion, the blocks were scrubbed free of sessile life and live coral fragments were attached. Benthic and fish communities were monitored on five randomly selected artificial reefs and on nearby control reefs. | Post-restoration monitoring: 36 months | Authors' conclusion: Coral cover on artificial reef modules increased from a mean of 24% 1 year after the initial attachment of Acropora spp. coral fragments to 64% after 3 years. The artificial reef modules were also rapidly colonized by coral recruits, with densities nearly twice as high as recruit densities on natural reef substratum and with at least 23 coral taxa. The artificial reefs also supported at least 29 reef fish species from 11 families. | Lessons reported: Other benefits of this project included raising the awareness of reef conservation in the local community, promotion of tourism on Pulau Weh and job creation. We conclude, therefore, that habitat creation has a legitimate role as part of an integrated marine conservation strategy. | This record was compiled from a published source and has not been confirmed by the organisation that carried out the work. No contribution to the condition index is recorded: the source reports survival of transplanted material, which is not a measure of ecosystem condition.

Recorded result

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