During the last 20 years, SAM has developed a multiplicity of hypothesis-driven conservation and restoration projects. Being home to the oldest Community-based coral aquaculture and reef rehabilitation program in the Caribbean, we aim to develop a variety of scientific publications that highlight our commitment towards the conservatiion of our marine resources. Most publications are freely available on our website.
Peer reviewed publications
Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia Patricia; Toledo-Hernández, Carlos; Sánchez-González, Juan Luis; Mercado-Molina, Alex E. A successful method to restore seagrass habitats in coastal areas affected by consecutive natural events Journal Article In: PeerJ, pp. 1-17, 2024. Vardi, Tali; Hoot, Whitney C.; Levy, Jessica; Shaver, Elizabeth; Winters, R. Scott; Banaszak, Anastazia T.; Baums, Iliana B.; Chamberland, Valérie F.; Cook, Nathan; Gulko, David; Hein, Margaux Y.; Kaufman, Les; Loewe, Michelle; Lundgren, Petra; Lustic, Caitlin; MacGowan, Petra; Matz, Mikhail V.; McGonigle, Miles; McLeod, Ian; Moore, Jennifer; Moore, Tom; Pivard, Sandrine; Pollock, F. Joseph; Rinkevich, Baruch; Suggett, David J.; Suleiman, Samuel; Viehman, T. Shay; Villalobos, Tatiana; Weis, Virginia M.; Wolke, Chelsea; Montoya-Maya, Phanor H. Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide Journal Article In: Restoration Ecology, vol. 29, iss. 8, no. e13498, pp. 1-7, 2021, ISSN: 1061-2971.2024
@article{Ruiz-Diaz2024,
title = {A successful method to restore seagrass habitats in coastal areas affected by consecutive natural events},
author = {Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz and Carlos Toledo-Hernández and Juan Luis Sánchez-González and Alex E. Mercado-Molina},
editor = {Haider Mahmood},
url = {https://peerj.com/articles/16700/
},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16700},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-02},
journal = {PeerJ},
pages = {1-17},
abstract = {Seagrass meadows, known for providing essential ecosystem services like supporting fishing, coastline protection from erosion, and acting as carbon sinks to mitigate climate change effects, are facing severe degradation. The current deteriorating state can be attributed to the combination of anthropogenic activities, biological factors (i.e., invasive species), and natural forces (i.e., hurricanes). Indeed, the global seagrass cover is diminishing at an alarming mean rate of 7% annually, jeopardizing the health of these vital ecosystems. However, in the Island Municipality of Culebra, Puerto Rico, losses are occurring at a faster pace. For instance, hurricanes have caused over 10% of cover seagrass losses, and the natural recovery of seagrasses across Culebra’s coast has been slow due to the low growth rates of native seagrasses (Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme) and the invasion of the invasive species Halophila stipulacea. Restoration programs are, thus, necessary to revitalize the native seagrass communities and associated fauna while limiting the spread of the invasive species.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2021
@article{Vardi2021,
title = {Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide},
author = {Tali Vardi and Whitney C. Hoot and Jessica Levy and Elizabeth Shaver and R. Scott Winters and Anastazia T. Banaszak and Iliana B. Baums and Valérie F. Chamberland and Nathan Cook and David Gulko and Margaux Y. Hein and Les Kaufman and Michelle Loewe and Petra Lundgren and Caitlin Lustic and Petra MacGowan and Mikhail V. Matz and Miles McGonigle and Ian McLeod and Jennifer Moore and Tom Moore and Sandrine Pivard and F. Joseph Pollock and Baruch Rinkevich and David J. Suggett and Samuel Suleiman and T. Shay Viehman and Tatiana Villalobos and Virginia M. Weis and Chelsea Wolke and Phanor H. Montoya-Maya},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/rec.13498
https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Restoration-Ecology-2021-Vardi-Six-priorities-to-advance-the-science-and-practice-of-coral-reef-restoration-worldwide.pdf},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13498},
issn = {1061-2971},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-29},
urldate = {2021-11-29},
journal = {Restoration Ecology},
volume = {29},
number = {e13498},
issue = {8},
pages = {1-7},
abstract = {Coral reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world's tropical coral reefs. The need for concerted and collaborative action focused on the recovery of coral reef ecosystems coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC leadership team met for a biennial review of international coral reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may impair scalability and efficacy. Herein we present six priorities wherein the CRC will foster scientific advancement and collaboration to: (1) increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment; (2) scale up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival; (3) ensure restoration of threatened coral species proceeds within a population-genetics management context; (4) support a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration; (5) develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and (6) support coral reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations. These priorities are not exhaustive nor do we imply that accomplishing these tasks alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather these are topics where we feel the CRC community of practice can make timely and significant contributions to facilitate the growth of coral reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The goal for these collective actions is to provide tangible, local-scale advancements in reef condition that offset declines resulting from local and global stressors including climate change.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}