Community-based Coral Restoration Areas (CBCRAs)
We work to restore & protect coral reefs and foster resilient coastal communities through CBCRAs, a framework we are scaling across Hawai'i.
Kuleana Coral Restoration in Hawaiʻi
Kuleana Coral Restoration aims to restore, protect, and monitor Hawaiian coral reefs with affordable and scalable solutions with the goal of building resilient coral communities.
Kuleana employs a mauka-to-makai (ridge-to-reef) ahupuaʻa approach, which unites upstream and downstream restoration work through place-based partnerships. Through this approach, Kuleana Coral Restoration is building a robust Community-Based Coral Restoration Area (CBCRA) network across the state. This network will bolster resilience to anticipated climate disasters while facilitating preventative measures through proactive restoration.
Our network of CBCRAs is continuously growing, with the goal of supporting all mokus across Hawaiʻi. Explore the current CBCRAs throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands.
Overview
Each CBCRA consists of at least one mauka (land) partner to guide the restoration strategy of the area through place-based knowledge. Contingent upon the approval of local community, we begin in water restoration efforts.
The CBCRA framework consists of three main components: Community Partnership, Coral Restoration, and Long-term Monitoring.
As Kuleana Coral Restoration conducts the comprehensive coral interventions, Kuleana can train the community partners to actively support restoration, mapping, and monitoring efforts needed by the reef. Should any signs of acute stress occur, the community has the ability to identify the problem and call in emergency response.
Restoration Process
Once a CBCRA site has been identified and the local community has been consulted with, the Kuleana Coral team begins the coral restoration process.
The restoration within a CBCRA can have a number of different priorities based on the needs of the community. Our Restoration Toolkit defines four key priorities: Ecological Resilience, Emergency Repair, Coastal Protection, and Fish Habitat. Each pillar contributes to a diverse and healthy ecosystem and can be enhanced through restoration activities by our team.
Restoration Techniques
Kuleana Coral Restoration employs two primary restoration methods: Large Rescued Colonies (LRC) and modules with fragmented corals.
Throughout Hawaiʻi's coastal waters, corals are dislodged from the reef for a number of reasons, and are likely to die. These are called corals of opportunity (COO) and have the potential to be recovered through direct intervention. These COOs are collected, stored in situ, and glued to new, suitable substrate. LRCs are outplanted to a restoration site within a CBCRA where they are less likely to be disturbed by waves, current, sedimentation, and debris. Outplanting a LRC provides immediate ecological services back to the reef, and represent 10-50 years of coral growth.
Kuleana also fragments corals on land-based nurseries and attaches these fragments to substrate modules, intended to immediately create spatial complexity and habitat for small fish and invertebrates. Fragmenting corals and attaching them to modules stimulates growth and provides opportunity for community engagement.
Mapping & Monitoring
After directed restoration within a CBCRA, our team works with the community partner to map and monitor the reef. Based on the place-based restoration plan, we can evaluate a number of success metrics from our interventions, including:
- Cover cover and survivability
- Detachment rates
- Changes in biodiversity through fish surveys
- Growth rates
- Changes in connectivity across sites
Since monitoring work does not require same permitting as restoration, community partners can monitor their reef independently going forward.
Kuleana Coral is committed to supporting community partners with the skills, tools, and equipment to effectively steward their reef resources.
Coral Restoration around the Pacific
While our CBCRA approach is unique to Hawaiʻi, we also work to share manaʻo (stories) with partners across Oceania. These information sharing events provide an opportunity to collaborate, share our work, and learn from one another as we collectively work to protect coral reefs across the Pacific.
Connecting Across Oceania
Coral is our common ancestor and Kuleana Coral Restoration is working to strengthen ties between cultures across Moananuiākea (the vast Pacific Ocean). Many Polynesian communities share creation stories, common, cosmology, and a traditional voyaging heritage. Now we are sharing insights in coral restoration and techniques.
Hawaiʻi
Kuleana Coral Restoration is based on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and is focusing on ecosystem level restoration to protect our coastlines, promote ecological diversity, create fish habitat, and develop rapid reef response protocols.
Indonesia
Kuleana Coral Restoration partnered with Sheba on their Hope Grows Initiative. As part of this initiative, members of the Kuelana team were invited to Hope Reef in Indonesia to obtain MARRS (Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System) competency training and witness firsthand the potential for scalable, ecologically functional coral reef restoration.
A persistent challenge in Hawaiian waters is stabilizing rubble on the seafloor that can otherwise dislodge and damage corals. Kuleana is piloting the MARRS developed "Reef Stars" to test for viable rubble stabilization solutions and create essential fish habitat.
Across the Pacific
Kuleana Coral Restoration attended a learning exchange at the University of Guam with coral restoration practitioners from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaiʻi, Guam, and American Samoa.
The learning exchange focused on creating coral nurseries, new monitoring methods, and protocols for outplanting and establishing reintroduced populations.
