Abstract Summary
The coral gardening concept which follow terrestrial standards for massive cultivation and transplants had varios scientific applications during the las two decades. Nevertheless, few investigation had tried to establish management tools for its use as an educative tool and a community based plan for citizen conservation. While scientific development of coral nurseries cultivation and transplant as conservation and restoration beneficiary increase, tools for application through the civil community are important to achieve goals of massive, constant "reforestation" work. The Calipso Foundation for Reef Conservation Efforts had worked since 2011 on tools for community participation in reef restoration activities. During that time few SCUBA diving courses were evaluated as promoters of reef conservation and educative tools that can facilitate manpower for long term reef restoration projects, managed by coastal communities. Courses such as Coral Gardener and Coral Reef indicators identification, had derived a lot of attention and received help from dive centers, tourists and the local fishermen community in Taganga. The practical part of the course help to reduce significantly the cost of restoration work and amplify the benefits furthermore than coral coverage and volume gain to a massive local interest in transforming activities in the Taganga bay to a community based management marine area. The data collection and analysis evaluation had focused in standardized work of ecological volume, while measuring the donors colonies (purely corals of opportunity) and comparing it to corals volume in one year cultivation and after transplantation (two years in the natural habitat). The result is an easy control tool of coral gardeners that can be used by local authorities to supervise community based restoration work, as the results suggest SIGNIFICANT increment in ecological volume (including nurseries and transplantation mortalities) and low managing costs through stakeholders participation that can not be ignored as a posible management tool.
