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Effect of coral reef restoration on demersal biodiversity in Okinawa, Japan

Global climate change is leading to damage and loss of coral reef ecosystems. On subtropical Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan, the prefectural government is working on coral reef restoration by outplanting coral colonies from family Acroporidae back to reefs after initially farming colonies inside protected nurseries. In this study we evaluated the ongoing restoration efforts by comparing outplanted locations with nearby control locations with no restoration activity. We examined 3 sites on the coast of Onna Village on the west coast of the island; each site included an outplanted and control location. We used 1) coral rubble sampling to evaluate and compare abundance and diversity of rubble cryptofauna; and 2) coral reef monitoring using photograph transects to track live coral coverage. Results showed that rubble shape had a positive correlation with the numbers of animals found within rubble themselves and may therefore constitute a reliable abundance predictor. Outplanted locations did not show differences with the controls in rubble cryptofauna abundance, but had significantly lower coral coverage. Differences between sites were significant, for both rubble cryptofauna and coral coverage.We recommend; 1) to evaluate outplanting colonies from more stress-resistant genera in place of Acropora, 2) to conduct regular surveys to monitor the situation closely, and 3) to establish conservation and sustainable practices that could aid restoration efforts, reducing coral mortality of both outplanted and native colonies.