Administrator’s note:  This article originally appeared in DAN‘s (Divers Alert Network) quarterly Alert Diver magazine (2025).  You can read the article here, Rewilding Coral Reefs, by subscribing to the magazine, or via the Alert Diver App.  The article is located in the Water Planet section of the magazine (pages 92-95).

REWILDING IS A POPULAR TERM IN CONSERVATION CIRCLES, but what does it mean, and is it appropriate for coral reefs? Should divers be clamoring for reef rewilding? Does it represent a significant advancement in coral reef conservation?

Though I believe rewilding coral reefs is a valuable approach, it requires a strong, established foundation of good old-fashioned marine conservation. I view reef rewilding as a tertiary marine conservation strategy that we should attempt only after the fundamentals of an effective marine conservation strategy (often anchored with a well-managed marine protected area) are in place.

The ReShark initiative in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, is a good case study for reef rewilding. ReShark’s StAR project is the world’s first program designed to recover an endangered shark population by releasing into the wild leopard shark pups hatched from eggs purpose-bred in large public aquariums around the world.

Charlotte, post-release, swimming at the surface in SE Misool

But before examining ReShark’s efforts in detail, what is rewilding and how might it apply to coral reefs? A quick online search….

Mark Erdmann Ph.D. is a Vice President Marine, Asia Pacific region of Conservation International and a co-founder of ReShark.