Are there artificial methods marine biologists can employ to rehabilitate coral reefs?
The main goal is to assist the recovery of a coral reef ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. It shortens the natural recovery times. However, the artificial methods can only be used successfully when the factors that have destroyed reefs are gone or controlled. Marine biologists use artificial methods such as the transplantation of corals and other organisms. The methods of coral reef rehabilitation include reattachment of coral fragments, providing artificial substrata and coral cultivation. Artificial methods are not a magic bullet; what is important is to improve the management of reef areas. How long would it take a reef to rehabilitate itself and regain its ecological balance? First, natural recovery is not always possible and we might lose coral reefs forever. Natural recovery for badly damaged coral reefs can take between 30 and 100 years. Of all the damaged reefs I have seen, I will probably never see them in a healthy state.
