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Rewilding Coral Reefs
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.
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.
