Webinar: Recent Coral Response Events and the Need for Integrated Response Planning

Speaker Biographies

Jennifer Koss
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and ICRI Co-Chair

Jennifer is the director of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program in 2015, creating an ambitious vision and strategic plan for coral conservation and management efforts at NOAA. She also holds key national and international positions as the Steering Committee Co-Chair of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, Co-Chair of the International Coral Reef Initiative, chair of the Global Coral reef Monitoring Network Steering Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Program (CORDAP), Jennifer is a graduate of NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program and has legislative experience serving two years in Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s (D-HI) Office.

Caroline McLaughlin
Florida Sea Grant / NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Caroline McLaughlin serves as the National Coral Disease Coordinator with Florida Sea Grant in partnership with NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. Caroline has more than a decade of experience in the conservation sector, an academic background in environmental science and policy, and significant experience working to enhance the resilience of coral reefs. Most recently, she worked with the National Parks Conservation Association as the Associate Director of the Sun Coast Region, covering Florida, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Louisiana, and has worked on invasive species management with the National Park Service, shark research with the University of Miami, and ecological connectivity along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast

Andrea Rivera-Sosa
Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)

Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Ph.D., is a marine biologist who studied coral reefs in the Virgin Islands, Moorea, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Mesoamerican region. She is a diver, reef monitor, and trainer on coral bleaching, stressors, and ecology. She received her doctoral degree in marine science at CINVESTAV, México. Andrea is Coral Reef Alliance’s (CORAL) Project and Outreach Manager for the Global Conservation Science program, where she works with multiple groups worldwide to monitor coral bleaching and collaborates with conservation scientists globally to improve the Allen Coral Atlas bleaching detection features and coordinate on-the-ground responses.

Derek Manzello
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program 

Dr. Derek Manzello is a coral reef ecologist, with a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the Rosenstiel School of the University of Miami, and is the Coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program, an effort focused on the monitoring of coral reef ecosystems through satellite and in situ observations. Coral Reef Watch uses NOAA satellite data to monitor environmental conditions that lead to coral bleaching and other marine ecological disturbances. Dr. Manzello has published on multiple topics in coral reef ecology, and he regularly conducts research that spans the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and geology. His primary research interest is understanding the impact of climate change and ocean acidification to coral reef ecosystems.

Jennifer Moore
Threatened Coral Recovery Coordinator, NOAA

Jennifer has worked on the conservation of Caribbean corals her entire career since joining NOAA in 2003 and listed the first-ever corals as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2006.  Most recently Jennifer has been coordinating responses to the several disasters affecting Caribbean corals – Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the FL Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak.  Jennifer is also the Southeast Region’s point of contact for Emergency Consultation under the ESA for Southeast Florida and the US Caribbean.

María del Carmen García Rivas
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales · Parque Nacional Arrecife de Puerto Morelos

María del Carmen García Rivas is a researcher and ranger with 25 years’ experience working with communities to protect wildlife and restore ecosystems. Dr García Rivas received the Kenton R. Miller Award for her leadership of the Hurricane Insurance Project in Puerto Morelos National Park and her role as a role model for other women rangers and conservation professionals. She was one of Mexico’s first female diving instructors, and amongst the first women to work with the country’s fishermen and navy.

Margaux Monfared
International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Secretariat

Margaux has experience in managing and organising marine conservation projects in diverse reef environments around the world, including Honduras, Cambodia, and the Maldives. Her experience focused on increasing coral reef resilience to climate change. Margaux’s most recent research focused on the reproductive patterns of Acropora in the Maldives, as well as coupling asexual propagation methodologies with the use of coral larvae for restoration. Margaux joined the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Secretariat in May 2023 and supports ICRI’s members in the implementation of the Plan of Action 2021 – 2024: Turning the Tide for Coral Reefs.

Introduction

In recent years, coral reefs worldwide have faced unprecedented challenges due to a combination of factors including climate change, pollution, and overfishing. In response to the urgent need for action, various resources have been developed to address recent coral response events and the critical necessity for integrated response planning.

Please note this is a summary of some of the resources available.

If you have any resources that you would like to feature in relation to this webinar topic, please contact the ICRI Secretariat.

Resources

• The RRN Managing Local Threats Toolkit describes strategies to manage local threats by invasive species, coral predators, coral disease, and other stressors.
• The RNN coral bleaching response plan worksheet helps managers plan ahead for staffing, funding, communications, and monitoring.

General Disturbance Response Resources

• The RRN have 16 disturbance response case studies, some of which are highlighted in the sub-sections below.
• 15 disturbance response article summaries
• Managing Local Threats Toolkit
• Monitoring and Assessment Toolkit

Storms

• Reef Brigades: Rapid Response & Emergency Reef Repair in Quintana Roo, Mexico Webinar
  • This recording is available in English and Spanish
  • In the RRN Restoration toolkit, there is a Rapid Response & Emergency Restoration page
• Two case studies: Assessment of 2017 Hurricane Impacts to Coral Reefs in Puerto Rico and Pushing Coral Back into the Ocean after a Cyclone in Australia

Coral Bleaching

• The top 10 things you can do before, during and after a bleaching event, as recommended by NOAA
• NOAA Coral Reef Watch
• CORAL’s The Coral Bleaching Toolkit and Comprehensive Guide
• Coral Bleaching Toolkit
• A reef managers guide to coral bleaching
• 40+ article summaries about coral bleaching
• Coral bleaching case studies, particularly:
  • S. Virgin Islands BleachWatch Program
  • Temporary Reef Site Closures During Coral Bleaching Thermal Stress in Malaysia and Thailand
  • Coral Bleaching Response and Monitoring in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve in Kenya
  • A Bleaching Response Plan Leads to Increased Protection of Tobago’s Reefs
• Preparing, monitoring, and responding to coral bleaching in the Western Indian Ocean Webinar
• Older coral bleaching response webinars
  • 2015 webinar recording Preparing for Coral Bleaching – Outlook and Lessons in Monitoring & Response
    • Mark Eakin of NOAA Coral Reef Watch and Chris Bergh of TNC Florida discuss the bleaching outlook for the Southern Hemisphere this year and guidance for managers to better prepare and respond to bleaching events. This webinar includes a discussion of the influence of this strong El Niño, tools for users to keep track of the event and a description of Florida’s bleaching monitoring approach used since 2005.
  • 2015 webinar recording Preparing for Coral Bleaching – Outlook and Lessons in Response
    • Mark Eakin (NOAA Coral Reef Watch), Britt Parker (NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program) and Anne Rosinski (Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources) discuss the bleaching outlook for the Northern Hemisphere this year and provide guidance for managers to better prepare and respond to bleaching events. This webinar includes a description of tools for users to keep track of events, tips for response based on lessons learned in Hawaii, and the Top 10 Things You Can Do Before, During and After a Bleaching Event.

Coral Disease

• Pacific Surveillance Guidelines
• SCTLD Prospectus
• Marine Safety Information Bulletin
• Transmission Fact Sheet
• NOAA SCTLD Implementation Plan
• 2023 SCTLD Newsletter
• In the RRN Managing Local Threats toolkit, there is a Coral Disease page
  • Eight article summaries about coral disease
  • Two case studies: Management and Interventions for Florida’s Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreak and Detection of a Coral Disease Outbreak in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi and Lessons for the Future
• Older SCTLD response webinars
  • 2020 webinar Treatment and Intervention Approaches for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
  • 2019 webinar Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: Lessons Learned & Resources

Lionfish Management

• Plan de acción nacional para el manejo y control del pez león en México
• Invasive Lionfish web portal
• Estrategia Regional para el Control del Pez león SAM

Predator Outbreaks

• In the RRN Managing Local Threats toolkit, there is a Coral Predators page
• Predator outbreak case studies, particularly:
  • A Well-Developed Community-Based Marine Protected Area Proves Resilient to a Crown-of-Thorns Sea Star Outbreak in Micronesia
  • Pro-active Approach to Combat the Invasion of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish by the Bonaire National Marine Park