Coral reefs provide critical services to human communities worldwide such as: fisheries, costal protection and cultural benefits. In Dominical Republic (DR), as in all tropical parts over the world, the coral cover and these services are diminishing due to local and global threats; and now, we know that the local stressors reduce coral resilience to the climate change. In response, place – based strategies involve local communities and resource users in conservation and restoration programs are becoming more frequent. Here, we present an alternative income generation activity for local fishermen into the Fundación Grupo Puntacana's coral restoration project. This alternative has 2 main goal: i) to augmenting coral populations can jumpstart coral reef community recovery; and ii) to combat overfishing of herbivorous fish. Up until now, 5 ex – fishermen have been certified and have helped whit the transplanting of 6,475 m of Acropora cervicornis tissue. Also, the parrotfish fishing has been reduced annually ~14,112 kg. This strategy has proved very effective, so we are replicating it others fishing communities of the DR, and in others countries such as Honduras and Haiti.

Nonprofits, like all organizations, have goals and deadlines to accomplish; simultaneously, nonprofits are often more limited in their resources, both financially and in personnel. To overcome this daunting but essential challenge, a volunteer force can help increase the capacity of work a nonprofit can achieve by acting as a supplemental workforce. As a result, volunteers are often associated with nonprofits and other charitable organizations and are acknowledged to be invaluable; yet the implementation, coordination, expectation and retention of a healthy, stand-alone volunteer program can be intimidating. With limited staff and a growing internship program, Coral Restoration Foundation is the largest coral reef restoration organization in the world and the only that implements a consistent volunteer program to a unique and considerable degree. Restoration work is supplemented by 1) a three-month internship program that provides consistent support, 2) a volunteer program that incorporates volunteer divers on workboats and on land and 3) a public dive program that helps to advertise and recruit individuals to the volunteer program and for donations. In 2017, Coral Restoration Foundation benefited from nearly 20,000 hours of volunteer assistance, thanks to 10 interns, over 150 volunteers and over 400 dive program participants; 2018 numbers are anticipated to increase significantly. Part of implementing a volunteer program is understanding expectations and motivations. Coral Restoration Foundation volunteer surveys indicate that over 50% of volunteer interest starts with an internet search on “coral restoration”, with word-of-mouth and social media immediately following. Expectations have shifted since 2016, with volunteers focusing on the desire to “make a difference” over “being a better diver”. Volunteer expectations, motivations and needs are as dynamic as an organization’s, and must be well-directed so that it parallels the growth and development of the organization it serves. By accepting that a volunteer force is ever evolving, there are multiple solutions for achieving the single goal of attaining, retaining and managing a robust volunteer program and increasing the capacity of the organization.

The abundance of corals has declined significantly over past decades, to the point where several reef-building species in the Caribbean are now listed as threatened. Active reef restoration has expanded exponentially to help recover degraded coral populations and the ecological services associated with healthy and complex reefs. While restoration practitioners now grow hundreds of coral genotypes from several species within coral nurseries and 10,000s of corals are outplanted annually, the cost and labor of these activities continues to be limiting factors. We describe a citizen science program, Rescue a Reef (RAR), which trains participants in reef restoration and provides unique, experiential learning opportunities to recover degraded coral reefs by propagating and transplanting threatened coral species. Between 2015-2018, 440 participants outplanted >2,700 staghorn corals, showing that citizen scientists successfully contribute to reef restoration. Importantly, corals outplanted by RAR participants showed the same survivorship as those outplanted by scientific experts. Moreover, post-expedition surveys showed significant improvements in coral reef ecology and restoration knowledge for RAR participants. The direct benefits of using citizen science for restoration are enhanced when the education and outreach opportunities are considered. Over three years, RAR engaged >14,000 individuals through public seminars, events, and activities in collaboration with organizations like the Phillip and Patricia Frost Science Museum, Rock The Ocean, Miami Seaquarium, and more. Thus, the growing field of reef restoration based on the coral gardening method offers a unique opportunity for participatory public engagement. By participating in these programs, citizen scientists can go beyond just data collection to active restoration and conservation of important reef resources.

Tropical coastal resources in the Anthropocene have shown signs of degradation and a declining ability to naturally recover from disturbance. Multiple human factors, including the increasing demand and misuse of natural resources, have contributed to this trend. Climate change has triggered further decline, with increasing threats to coral reefs and coastal communities, mostly due to coral bleaching and mortality, sea level rise and shoreline erosion. With over 435 km of coastline across 44 municipalities (57%) in Puerto Rico, human coastal communities, hotels, and other private and public infrastructure are under increasing vulnerability, with a threat to its weakened economy. To improve coastal resource protection, it would be necessary to improve the understanding of ecosystem processes and enhance governance and management by incorporating public participation through community-based scientific citizens programs. Sharing scientific information with base communities will empower citizens with the necessary hands on knowledge to support a variety of management strategies, including coral farming, reef restoration, wetland and coastal forest reforestation, etc. This would contribute to restore ecosystems functions and resilience through ecosystem-based, sustainable, participatory management strategies. Non-governmental organization Sociedad Ambiente Marino (SAM) has successfully implemented multiple strategies to achieve a successful integration of traditionally-underserved base communities into coral reef conservation and restoration. This has empowered volunteers with the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to plan, develop, and implement adaptive management strategies for the conservation and restoration of coastal resources. The symbiosis of ecological knowledge and social participation through SAM has resulted in over 150 presentations in multiple national and international meetings, generating more than 25 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The concern about declining coastal resources and community-based livelihoods, plus the interest, love and passion for the sea shared by volunteers are great sources of motivation to fully understand the pressing problems and protect their backyards.

Reef restoration efforts are of most importance for those areas of high touristic visitation. Especially when operations occur in great numbers and during peaks hours and holiday seasons. Probability of impacts increases when either compliance level is low or there are surveillance or patrol problems. The National Marine Park of Cancun and Isla Mujeres in the Mexican Caribbean receives nearly 900,000 visitors per year and is one of the most visited marine parks in the world. In 2004-2005 the area was hit by three hurricanes of which one reached category 5, with great devastation to main reef units. Restoration activities involved the nautical community to remove junk entangled in the reefs preventing further damage to corals. It also considered the rescue of fragments, to later incorporate some of them into a marine nurseries and reef restoration project. Due to the slow recovery rate and the incoming of visitors into the reef units, authority had two management options: to estimate carrying capacities per reef unit and implement them or redirect visitors to sandy and rocky bottom areas with artificial habitats. Second option was decided and first attempt using simple artificial reefs were not well accepted. The nautical community and National Marine Park considered a second and very successful attempt. Sculptures made with neutral pH cement became a real option. It was accepted by the nautical community and the advisory committee of the National Park. The value of this project redirecting visitors is analyzed in terms of governance and as a conservation and management strategy. The effectiveness of this alternative in terms of conservation and income is demonstrated and how it has served to lower density of visitors in reef units under restoration processes increasing the impact of reef ecosystem rehabilitation. It is discussed why similar projects are being now been planned in other sites touristic resorts in the world where activities in coral reefs take place.

The Great Barrier Reef’s back-to-back bleaching events (2016/17) have seen a shift towards more interventions and restoration project to save the Reef. With traditional media still holding gatekeeper roles, the Twittersphere has become an ideal space to debate the merits of Reef restoration research. From scientists to pollies and the public, opinion is divided over the best approach to restore the Reef’s health. This paper is part of research for the Reef Restoration and Adaption (RRAP) project that is analysing social media to identify key theme in online public debates around social licence and restoration projects. Drawing on public Twitter and Facebook pages, we are measuring social perceptions of restoration and intervention projects. Analysis of Twitter posts over a 12-month period since the last bleaching event, identifies public sentiment and discourse around Reef Restoration projects. Drawing on public tweets from social media and environmental communication literature; this study investigates the public perceptions of interventions via the micro-blogging site Twitter. The data provides insights into the public perception and debates surrounding the feasibility and viability of reef restoration and adaptation interventions. Therefore, this research aims to establish if better understanding of the social perceptions of the Great Barrier Reef can help to find ways of improving the Reef in Australia and around the world.