Coral Reef Socio-Ecological Systems Restoration

Coral reef analysis and restoration strategies should be based on socio-ecological system assessments that provide key information about establishing future interventions and strategies for practitioners, program monitoring... [ view full abstract ]

Coral reef analysis and restoration strategies should be based on socio-ecological system assessments that provide key information about establishing future interventions and strategies for practitioners, program monitoring and evaluation efforts. To support this integration, it is necessary to develop conceptual frameworks that allow us to understand coral reef socio-ecological systems and its restoration. This research focuses on developing frameworks that help to analyze a coral reef socio-ecological system and to develop a successful and holistic coral reef socio-ecological restoration initiative. The Ostrom Framework for analyzing socio-ecological systems and the Kittinger human dimensions’ framework of coral reefs socio-ecological systems were coupled to construct one framework to analyze the subsystems, the interactions, and the outcomes of a coral reef socio-ecological systems framework. The most cited and commonly used research papers and guidelines regarding coral reef restoration were checked and utilized to construct a coral reef socio-ecological system restoration framework. Both frameworks can potentially be used as a guide for managers, researchers and decision-makers to analyze a coral reef socio-ecological system and for developing a successful restoration initiative, which includes the basic social and ecological criteria for designing, implementing and monitoring a successful initiative from a holistic approach.