Project title: A smart-decision framework for coral restoration (ASSIST) – harnessing resilience for restoration
Project lead: Sebastian Szereday
Co-applicants: Prof. Christian R. Voolstra, Dr. Joseph Henry
Countries involved: Malaysia, Germany, United States of America
Takes place: Lang Tengah Island and Rawa Island (Malaysia), Gili Islands (Indonesia)
Supporting institutions: University of Konstanz, Coralku, Triton Society
Total budget: USD $507,400
Duration: 36 months
Project overview
The global decline of coral reefs has prompted the need for active interventions to expand the adaptive capacity of hard corals. However, the long-term efficacy of these interventions to climate-proof wild populations remains largely unknown. Plus, low- and middle-income economies often face resource limitations, and they harbor a significant proportion of the world’s most biodiverse coral reefs. This project proposes the development of a cost-effective, data-driven framework for selecting resilient coral colonies as source material for restoration, the ASSIST framework. By identifying phenotypic traits such as thermal tolerance and fecundity, the project aims to maximize coral survival, growth, and ecological impact while minimizing the removal of biomass from natural reefs. This smart-decision framework will be universally applicable, enabling practitioners to make informed choices that yield consistent returns on investment and long-term reef resilience. The framework will be piloted on coral reefs in Malaysia—a region of high biodiversity yet constrained resources.
Specific objectives
- Identify heat-tolerant coral individuals and assess what determines their resilience.
- Develop a smart framework to assist practitioners in implementing an efficient strategy to select heat-tolerant corals for restoration projects.
How the objectives will be met
- Identify resilient coral donor colonies: several parameters will be measured in the field, including the thermal tolerance, fecundity, and corals’ symbiotic communities.
- Link physiological traits to restoration success: selected corals will be used in restoration projects. These corals will be monitored to identify traits predictive of faster growth and survival.
- Cost-effectiveness analysis: restoration costs will be documented, and their cost-effectiveness will be determined. Trade-offs between selection strategy expenses and survival benefits will be quantified to demonstrate financial feasibility.
- Create the ASSIST framework: create a smart-decision framework to guide the selection of source material by practitioners based on cost-effectiveness and coral resilience traits.
Impact of the project
This project will provide an open-access guidebook describing the methodologies, resources, software codes, and all other relevant information to allow for the widespread application of the ASSIST framework. Ultimately, this framework will empower practitioners to make informed decisions that maximize the survival and growth of restored corals, increasing the return on investment for restoration efforts.
This project will also actively contribute to reef restoration by constructing 33 new coral nurseries and transplanting nearly 4,000 corals. These restoration sites will be monitored beyond the project duration to evaluate long-term ecological improvements, which will be supported by in-kind contributions and tourism partnerships already in place.
Major highlights
- Development of a smart-decision framework for restoration practitioners that is measurable in the field, cost-effective, and universally applicable.
- Independent validation of the framework in the Gili Islands (Indonesia) and the Rawa Island (Malaysia).
- Open-access resources, including a guidebook and webinars, will ensure global dissemination of the ASSIST framework.
In 2024:
✅ Screened over 2,000 corals for climate resilience.
✅ One scientific paper under review.
✅ Established 70 nurseries, the largest system in Malaysia.
✅ Provided advanced scientific training for 5 Malaysian team members.