Butterflyfish as indicators of ecological function for coral restoration monitoring
Lydia conducted a research internship with us as part of her MSc from University of Edinburgh in 2019. As one of our earlier research students working on the coral restoration site we were interested in metrics which could be used for monitoring. Together with our Blue Corner Marine Research team she developed a study to measure if corallivorous butterflyfish could be used to indicate whether or not a reef site is successfully restored.
Coral reef ecosystems have been valued as one of the most economically important ecosystems in the world, providing sources of protein, supporting and protecting urban development, and comprising the basis of many cultures and recreational activities. Despite its importance and value, reefs all over the world are being degraded and damaged due to anthropogenic factors. With the aim of protecting the reefs and re-establishing self-sustaining, functional reef systems, many marine protected areas have been established and coral reef restoration projects have been developed, particularly in the Coral Triangle area where biodiversity is the highest.
Check out the research abstract below:
This study aimed to provide an assessment of Blue Corner’s coral restoration project in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area in Indonesia by examining the ecological benefits and resilience of the restored structures through comparative analysis of butterflyfish (Chaetodon) and herbivorous surgeonfish (Acanthuridae) and parrot fish (Scaridae) diversity.
Underwater video surveys were collected from three different benthic areas on the North coast of Nusa Penida: 1) restored coral structures, 2) coral rubbles, and 3) natural reefs.
Analysis of video surveys demonstrated that the both diversity of butterflyfish and herbivorous fish were higher on the restored coral structures compared to coral rubbles area. Species composition were also documented and showed a higher species similarity between the restored structures and natural reefs than between coral rubbles and natural reefs.
The results of this study indicate that the ecological functions of the coral restoration structures are being re-established as the relative health of the corals and the resilience of the reef have been improved. The findings in this study provide a basis for future monitoring projects and holds important implications for the management decisions regarding coral restoration projects.