Facilitating coral development

Overview

Creating desirable habitat conditions is a start toward recruiting specific species to provide ecosystem services. Coral reefs not only provide coastal protection as they naturally dissipate wave energy but also improve water quality and clarity through filtration. Coral development strategies focus on seeding, recruiting, or transplanting these vital organisms either through provision or enhancement of hard substrata in tropical and subtropical waters. These living, underwater structures sustain highly biodiverse ecosystems.