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Marking Fifth Anniversary with Heat-resistant Corals

Florida Keys coral restoration groups and scientists from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary planted resilient, heat-resistant species of coral at Carysfort Reef on February 28, 2025 commemorating the fifth anniversary of the sanctuary’s Mission: Iconic Reefs program. The bold undertaking encountered a major challenge due to a marine heat wave in the summer of 2023 that caused devastating mortality at many restoration groups’ in-water coral nurseries and areas of the Florida reef.

From that challenge, though, came hopeful discoveries regarding coral survival in the
face of future climate change, researchers said, adding that coral reefs around the world
are also confronted with such issues.

“They’re actually using genets, or clone lines, of coral that we know are resistant to heat
stress,” said Dr. Katey Lesneski of the divers involved in the outplanting at Carysfort,
located off Key Largo. “We’ve done a fantastic job across so many organizations of
preserving genetic diversity which will be important in future outplanting efforts.”

Lesneski is the sanctuary’s Mission: Iconic Reefs research and monitoring coordinator.
“So these individuals have been propagated from others that survived the heat stress
event in 2023, whether out on the reef or in ocean-based nurseries,” Lesneski said,
referring to the infant corals. “So we have a lot of confidence that the corals that are
being returned to the reef today will continue to do well even in future warming
conditions.”

The three organizations that aided in outplanting the young corals included Coral
Restoration Foundation, Mote Marine Laboratory and Reef Renewal USA.

In the future, sanctuary officials hope to bring in more coral restoration organizations
and research partners with additional concepts about how build upon information
learned to date, according to Lesneski.

For some 20 years, organizations in the Florida Keys have pioneered breakthrough
efforts to restore coral. “Florida’s coral reef provides billions of dollars in revenue annually,” Lesneski said. “And if we want generations in the future to enjoy these same benefits, we have to continue to do this work and preserve this very important resource.”

 

Reef Futures and M:IR inspire coral restoration practitioners from around the world

Playa del Carmen, December 2024 – Reef Futures unfolded on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico with 850 attendees registered for a week of shared insights and innovations, featuring a dozen Mission: Iconic Reefs (M:IR) colleagues presenting at plenary, concurrent, workshop and poster sessions. The symposium arrived at a critical juncture for coral restoration practitioners. In recent months, critics had been lobbying for a pause in restoration investment until larger solutions about climate change can be addressed. The symposium embraced the criticism, and responded with thoughtful dissent.

“I came away with renewed hope in the tenacity, dedication and innovation of this community to continue to combat all the challenges we are facing,” said Jennifer Moore, M:IR’s Senior Manager and Reef Future’s program chair. “The panel discussion on combating negative criticism that restoration has been taking was amazing, giving all of us the tools on how to do our work in light of that criticism. The other thing that exploded in my mind about hope was in Rose Huizenga’s plenary presentation empowering young Indonesian women to do coral restoration and, in some cases, the first time being in the water. We need to capitalize with that kind of engagement more broadly.”

Huizenga’s Coral Catch aspires to build a network of 100 female leaders who protect and restore the coral reefs of Indonesia, and her presentation symbolized the healing by-product of gathering with like-minded colleagues.

“Over the past few months, I’ve struggled with doubts—witnessing setbacks and seeing fellow restoration practitioners lose hope left me questioning my career and even considering early retirement,” said M:IR partner Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya, Reef Restoration Program Manager  for Coral Restoration Foundation. “But attending Reef Futures changed everything. The opportunity to reconnect, listen, and share stories with the global coral restoration community reignited my motivation and reminded me why this work is worth every challenge.”

Michelle Loewe, who serves on the M:IR leadership team, chaired the core planning team for Reef Futures. M:IR was envisioned in 2018 at the inaugural Reef Futures, which is organized by The Coral Restoration Consortium, a global community of practice dedicated to restoring corals in the places where they are most needed.​

Five Year Report Published

Mission: Iconic Reefs has published a five-year report to coincide with the anniversary of the program.  The 40-page document outlines past, present and future in a nod to the transparency expected of a program in which so many have invested.  “We are stewards of resources on behalf of taxpayers and investors who have been promised something bold,” said Senior Manager Jennifer Moore, “and we accept the mission.”

The report can be viewed online here:

Happy Birthday Mission: Iconic Reefs; Program Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

NOAA is lighting five birthday candles for Mission: Iconic Reefs, just as the world-wide restoration community celebrates Corals Week at the international Reef Futures Symposium in Mexico. The NOAA-led, partner-driven program to restore seven reef sites in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was launched on December 9, 2019.

“When Mission: Iconic Reefs launched it was only an idea—nothing more than words on paper,” says Jennifer Moore, the program’s senior manager and co-chair of Reef Futures. “There was no staff, other than the goodwill of partners and NOAA employees working “other duties as assigned,” yet today, we are 20 strong as a team with over $35 million raised from various sources to implement the plan. Most importantly, practitioners are outplanting corals on the reef, research is underway alongside restoration, and terabytes of data are being collected and analyzed. Given the typically-slow wheels of government, our five-year pace has been nothing short of astonishing. Even the need for my new role as senior manager is evidence of how far we have come.”

The anniversary arrives with the launch of a new Mission: Iconic Reefs website, a five year report and the trailer for a soon-to-be released mini-documentary on the program, produced by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

“When Mission: Iconic Reefs launched it was only an idea—nothing more than words on paper,” says Jennifer Moore, the program’s senior manager and co- chair of Reef Futures. “There was no staff, other than the goodwill of partners and NOAA employees working “other duties as assigned,” yet today, we are 20 strong as a team with over $35 million raised from various sources to implement the plan. Most importantly, practitioners are outplanting corals on the reef, research is underway alongside restoration, and terabytes of data are being collected and analyzed. Given the typically-slow wheels of government, our five- year pace has been nothing short of astonishing. Even the need for my new role as senior manager is evidence of how far we have come.” The anniversary arrives with the launch of a new Mission: Iconic Reefs website, and the trailer for a soon-to-be released mini documentary on the program, produced by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

     

    A formal celebration for the anniversary will take place in the Keys during the New Year.

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