Abstract Summary
This ethnographic research in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia approaches coral restoration through the mutual dependencies of corals, fish, scientists, and black islanders and fishers. It explores how coral nurseries are also nurseries for fish, scientists, and the marine territories of islanders. It is based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork as a volunteer in various restoration programs and through experiences of daily life in the Rosario archipelago. It argues that the continuation of coral restoration in the Caribbean of Colombia relies not only on the ability of scientists to advance science and technologies of restoration but also on the will of black islanders and fishers to recognize the reefs in process of restoration as their own. It means that restoration cannot continue without taking into account the black islanders’ and fishers’ interests. This research explores the interactions between scientists and islanders and what it has implied in terms of coral reef composition and the practices of fishing, eco-tourism, and restoration in the archipelago.
