Partners, led by NOAA, initiate advanced coral restoration efforts in Florida, following destruction from coral bleaching.

In the heart of the Florida Keys, a groundbreaking initiative is underway to save the region's declining coral reefs. NOAA's Mission: Iconic Reefs, in collaboration with partners like the Rosenstiel School, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the Coral Restoration Foundation, is employing advanced techniques to create heat-resilient corals and restore the reefs.

The Rosenstiel School team is developing a novel bioprinting technique to help meet the demand for growing and outplanting millions of corals. This innovative approach involves printing tiny hydrogel bubbles containing coral larvae, seawater, symbiotic algae, probiotic bacteria, and compounds that encourage settlement and growth.

One of the key strategies is breeding heat-resistant corals. Scientists focus on corals that survived recent mass bleaching events, preserving genetic diversity crucial for resilience against warming ocean temperatures. They also investigate whether supplying baby corals with probiotic bacteria can prevent bleaching, a research led by the Rosenstiel School team in partnership with the Smithsonian Marine Station.

Microfragmentation and outplanting are other essential techniques used. Scientists produce many coral fragments through asexual reproduction methods, which are then carefully outplanted onto degraded reefs to rapidly increase live coral cover. Coral fragments are first grown in controlled conditions on land and in underwater nurseries to optimize their health before transplantation to the reef.

Restoration teams also remove invasive algae and nuisance species to improve habitat conditions, boosting the survival and growth rates of outplanted corals. Monitoring and adaptive management guide the shift in restoration focus toward more resilient corals and the adaptation of restoration methods informed by shared scientific knowledge and lessons learned from bleaching impacts.

Community involvement and education are integral parts of the initiative. Programs like Iconic Reef Guardians engage divers and local stakeholders in hands-on restoration activities, fostering stewardship and expanding workforce support for reef recovery.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has given the University of Miami permission to outplant Flonduran corals in Florida's state waters outside of national parks and sanctuaries. The project aims to grow and outplant corals better equipped to withstand future bleaching, using approaches such as selective breeding, bioprinting, and high-temperature rearing.

Dr. Andrew Baker's lab, which has spent years researching heat-tolerant algae, is introducing those algae to corals during the earliest stages of life. The University of Miami project, funded by a $16 million grant from the Office of Habitat Conservation, is also crossing heat-tolerant Florida corals with corals from unusually warm reefs in Honduras, creating a new strain of corals called "Flonduran" corals.

NOAA and its partners are launching new strategies to restore coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, with a goal of boosting coral cover from 2% to 25%. Mote Marine Laboratory is rearing Caribbean king crabs, which help maintain healthier reef environments for coral growth and settlement.

Together, these integrated approaches combine biological innovation, habitat management, and public participation to support the goal of restoring self-sustaining coral populations amid climate challenges in the Florida Keys by 2040. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is providing funding for these efforts, ensuring that the future of the Florida Keys' coral reefs remains a vibrant and thriving ecosystem.

In the field of environmental science, researchers are developing a bioprinting technique to grow and outplant millions of heat-resilient corals as part of the NOAA's Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative.
The advanced technique involves printing hydrogel bubbles containing coral larvae, seawater, symbiotic algae, probiotic bacteria, and growth-encouraging compounds.
Scientists are breeding heat-resistant corals, focusing on those that survived mass bleaching events to preserve genetic diversity necessary for resilience against warming ocean temperatures.
Microfragmentation and outplanting are essential techniques used, with coral fragments being produced through asexual reproduction methods and then outplanted onto degraded reefs.
Removing invasive algae and nuisance species helps improve habitat conditions, fostering the survival and growth of outplanted corals.
Community engagement and education programs like Iconic Reef Guardians foster stewardship and expand workforce support for reef recovery by engaging divers and local stakeholders in hands-on restoration activities.
The University of Miami's project, funded by a $16 million grant from the Office of Habitat Conservation, is crossing heat-tolerant Florida corals with corals from unusually warm reefs in Honduras, creating a new strain called "Flonduran" corals.
Mote Marine Laboratory is rearing Caribbean king crabs to help maintain healthier reef environments, promoting coral growth and settlement.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is providing funding for these efforts, ensuring the future of the Florida Keys' coral reefs as a vibrant and thriving ecosystem, with a goal of boosting coral cover from 2% to 25% by 2040.

Partners, led by NOAA, initiate advanced coral restoration efforts in Florida, following destruction from coral bleaching.