Reef Exchanges

From 2023-2025, in response to the fourth global bleaching event and the urgent need to identify, protect, and restore climate-resilient coral reefs, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Stanford University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution led a global effort, called Super Reefs, to identify and protect a network of climate resilient reefs. On this episode, Tiara Stark, Maui Marine Project Manager with TNC in Hawai’i, talks with us about her experience as a Super Reefs project manager. From...

On this episode, we are joined by Julia Rose, Coral Restoration Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Hawai’i. Julia talks about her experiences conducting coral bleaching monitoring during the 2015-2016 El Niño and mass coral bleaching event in Hawai’i. She shares the reality of her personal experience monitoring coral reef loss, as well as actions she is taking and where she is finding hope as we prepare for this year’s very strong El Niño. As she invites at the end of the episode, ...

On this episode, we are joined by Daniel Toledo-Rodriguez, master’s student at the University of Puerto Rico, and Dr. Nilda Jimenez from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Daniel and Nilda talk about their recent work looking into invasive soft coral species that have been found in Puerto Rico’s coral reef ecosystems. From collecting samples and conducting genetic testing to conducting outreach with local dive shops, Daniel and Nilda discuss the actions they’ve...

Eutrophication, species die-offs, and overfishing herbivorous fish and urchins have led to faster-growing algae in many areas of the Caribbean, preventing corals from recruiting and recovering from disturbances. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Alwin Hylkema, Associate Professor of Coastal Ecosystem Restoration at Van Hall Larenstein University and Wageningen University. Alwin describes his work restoring local sea urchins to the reef, and the potential for combining herbivore restoratio...

In this episode, originally recorded for the 2025 Coral Reef Restoration Mentored Online Course, we speak with Suki Leung at the University of Queensland Marine Spatial Ecology Lab. Suki joins course mentors Margaux Hein and Caitlin Lustic to discuss methods and approaches for rubble stabilization in coral reef areas, an often crucial step in preparing an area for coral restoration activities. Many potential restoration sites have been damaged or degraded to the point that they no longer prov...