The Kona Coast on the Big Island is emerging as a pivotal hub for cutting-edge coral reef restoration efforts. A dedicated team of scientific divers, snorkelers, and boat crews recently embarked on a mission to restore and reattach 313 kūʻa (coral) colonies that had been damaged or overturned in Kahuwai Bay, Kailua-Kona. This initiative is part of the Hawaiʻi Emergency Reef Restoration Network, a project of The Nature Conservancy, which is collaborating with federal, state, and community partners to set a gold standard for science-based, adaptive, and community-centric restoration in Hawai‘i.
The team is pioneering reef restoration in areas where corals have been lost but where the reefs have demonstrated resilience. However, Julia Rose, coral restoration program manager at The Nature Conservancy, emphasizes that reef restoration is an ongoing commitment to stewardship. With the reefs facing mounting pressures from sediments, land-based pollutants, overfishing, and climate change impacts, including rising sea levels and water temperatures, the need for proactive measures is evident.
In November, a single swell caused extensive damage to the coral colonies, breaking off large pieces that could die or harm the seafloor. Yet, these fragments offer a second chance. Divers and scientists replant the coral fragments onto the reef using epoxy, cement, or nontoxic underwater adhesives, ensuring they are reattached as close to their original location as possible. This approach significantly enhances the chances of survival and regrowth.
The project, Kanu Kūʻa (Planting Corals), seamlessly integrates Hawaiian culture, the local community, and coral restoration science to accelerate coral reef growth and recovery in Kahuwai and Kealakekua Bays in West Hawaiʻi. It also aims to build local skills and expertise, crucial for reef repair and restoration as Hawaiʻi faces more severe storms and coral bleaching events.
Another initiative, the ʻĀkoʻakoʻa Reef Restoration Program, is making strides in restoring and sustaining coral reefs through a foundation of cultural leadership and advanced scientific practices. This program utilizes a diagnostics program to measure coral growth and death along the entire coastline and supports exploration processes to guide reef restoration. ʻĀkoʻakoʻa has identified nearshore currents and their seasonality as critical factors, allowing researchers to designate optimal areas for its Reef Nurseries Initiative and Targeted Larval Enhancement.
The Reef Nurseries Initiative focuses on the largest corals that have decayed due to marine heatwaves. By providing them with a chance to recover in the water, these corals can produce billions of larvae each year. The Targeted Larval Enhancement phase involves rehabilitating medium-sized sick corals in the coral nursery and integrating them into mass larval production. This approach assists nature by boosting the natural reproductive cycles of corals, addressing the issue of isolated individuals struggling to reproduce effectively.
Researchers select adult corals with natural resistance to warmer water and cross-breed them to produce offspring that inherit this heat tolerance trait. They then collect eggs and sperm from these selected corals, raising billions of larvae in their nursery. Once ready, they transport these larvae to strategically located Reef Nursery sites, ensuring they have the best chance to survive to reproductive age and fast-track the natural recovery process.
These innovative efforts on the Kona Coast highlight the crucial role of collaboration between science, culture, and community in preserving and restoring coral reefs, offering a glimmer of hope for the future of these vital ecosystems.
