Incorporating Restoration into a Social-Ecological Systems Framework for Reef Management: A Case Study from the Manell-Geus Habitat Focus Area in Guam

Coral reef social-ecological systems (SES) frameworks can provide an important tool for managers as they develop and implement restoration actions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed an SES framework and integrated monitoring (IM) program to inform management and restoration efforts in the Manell-Geus Habitat Focus Area (HFA) in Guam. As one of ten HFAs included in NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint, the project seeks to improve habitat conditions for fisheries and improve the resilience of coastal communities. Reefs provide valuable ecosystem services to coastal communities and have direct impacts on human well-being through provisioning, coastal protection, and cultural values. Yet, resource managers often focus solely on biophysical conditions, missing important social conditions that could improve or impair restoration outcomes. To avoid this, both social and biophysical data from baseline monitoring efforts informed the SES framework for the HFA; and managers have used the framework to develop reef and watershed restoration strategies that should improve both reef ecosystem health and support human well-being. We’ll review the SES framework and IM program, restoration strategies, challenges, and recommendations.