Marine & Coastal Restoration
Repair of a climate-impacted marine ecosystem or population. Includes: 1) Regrowing underwater and coastal species to promote recovery of marine and coastal populations; and 2) Catchment habitat restoration whereby promoting recovery of terrestrial and freshwater habitats supports downstream recovery of marine and coastal populations.
These types of interventions pose a range of risks and challenges. Resources exist to help identify and address these.
Useful resources
Bayraktarov, E. et al. 2016. The cost and feasibility of marine coastal restoration. Ecological Applications, 26: 1055–1074.
Bayraktarov, E. et al. 2019. Motivations, success, and cost of coral reef restoration. Restoration Ecology 27: 981-991.
Eger, C. et al. 2022. Kelp restoration guidebook: Lessons learned from kelp restoration projects around the world.
Grimm, K. E. et al. 2023. Follow the money: Understanding the Latin America and Caribbean mangrove restoration funding landscape to assist organizations and funders in improved social‐ecological outcomes. Conservation Science and Practice 5: e12815.
Hughes, T. P. et al. 2023. Principles for coral reef restoration in the anthropocene. One Earth 6: 656-665.
Huxham, M. et al. 2023. Rawls in the mangrove: Perceptions of justice in nature‐based solutions projects. People and Nature 5: 1497-1511.
Kenny, I. et al. 2023. Aligning social and ecological goals for successful marine restoration. Biological Conservation, 288: 110357.
Mulà, C. et al. 2025. Restoration cannot be scaled up globally to save reefs from loss and degradation. Nature Ecology & Evolution 9: 822–832.
Ramírez‐Monsalve, P. et al. 2022. Marine restoration governance arrangements: issues of legitimacy. Environmental. Policy and Governance, 32: 122–134.
Ravaoarinorotsihoarana L. A. et al. 2023. Lessons for ensuring continued community participation in a mangrove blue carbon conservation and restoration project in Madagascar. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 22: 43-60.