Introduction to Resilience

About ReefResilience.org

This website is designed for use by practitioners who are working to build resilience into their management activities, including MPA and MPA network design. The science and management of reef resilience is rapidly developing and we aim to keep up with it by sharing the latest findings and approaches on this site as well as giving practitioners an opportunity to share and learn from each other through the Case Studies and Resilience Discussion Forum. Please feel free to contact us with any new information or the results of your work — we would love to share it more broadly!

What do we mean by resilience?

The ability of systems to absorb, resist or recover from disturbances or to adapt to change while continuing to maintain essential functions and processes is the essence of ecological resilience (Holling 1973)*. When we speak of reef resilience, we are referring to coral reefs that are able to bounce back or recover after experiencing a stressful event such as bleaching caused by elevated temperatures. When we talk about resistance, we are referring to communities that remain relatively unchanged in the face of a major disturbance or event such as bleaching.

What are the four principles of reef resilience?

Scientists are learning a great deal about the physiology of coral bleaching and how and why corals die or not as a consequence. The story of bleaching resistance and resilience is complex. But we are also learning that we cannot wait for perfect science; we need to arm ourselves with the best available knowledge and take some simple, practical steps now to incorporate resilience into MPA design and management. The model shown here includes four simple, practical steps that are used in The Nature Conservancy and by others to guide our efforts to build resilience into coral reef management.

Representation, replication and risk-spreading can help increase the likelihood of reef survival. By ensuring that resilient species and habitats are well-represented and replicated throughout the MPA network, coral reef managers can decrease the risk of catastrophic events, such as bleaching, from destroying the entire reef ecosystem.

Critical areas are vital to the survival and sustainability of marine habitats. These areas may provide secure and essential sources of larvae to enhance the replenishment and recovery of reefs damaged by bleaching, hurricanes or other events. They also include high-priority conservation targets, such as fish spawning aggregations and nursery habitats.

Connectivity influences the design of marine protected area (MPA) networks. Preserving connectivity among reefs and their associated habitats ensures replenishment of coral communities and fish stocks from nearby healthy reefs and may enhance recovery.

Effective management is essential to keeping reefs vibrant and healthy. Reducing threats is the foundation for successful conservation and the core of our resilience-based strategies. Investments in human capacity and long-term financing are also crucial to sustaining effective management for the future.