Finding refuge in a changing climate: implementing a coral bleaching contingency plan for a reef restoration project in the South Pacific of Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/0jr52w81Keywords:
coral restoration; coral bleaching; Golfo Dulce; Pocillopora; marine heatwave; reef stars; Costa Rica.Abstract
Introduction: The 2023–2024 global coral bleaching event severely impacted coral communities and reefs across the South Pacific of Costa Rica. Understanding coral species and genotype responses to extreme heat stress is critical to improving restoration strategies under accelerating climate change.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Coral Bleaching Contingency Plan (CBCP) implemented by Raising Coral in mitigating bleaching and mortality during the 2023–2024 thermal anomaly in Golfo Dulce.
Methods: Ecological monitoring of natural and restored coral communities was conducted at two reef sites (Islotes and Punta Adela) using the National Program for Ecological Monitoring (PRONAMEC) protocol, documenting bleaching severity and survival across coral genera. In parallel, the CBCP focused on Pocillopora, the most thermally susceptible and restoration prioritized genus in the region, by deploying transplanted coral fragments across five restoration sites (Platanares, Punta Estrella, Sándalo 1, Sándalo 2, and Punta Gallardo). Survival of fragments from 17 Pocillopora donor colonies (genotypes) was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) to assess site, time, and donor level effects.
Results: Coral bleaching was widespread and severe, with 100 % of colonies bleached and 90 % mortality for Pavona and Pocillopora species. Porites maintained the highest live cover (up to 54 % at Punta Adela). Survival of outplanted colonies decreased from > 88 % in 2021–2022 to 13.6 % after the event. Among genotypes, survival differed significantly over time (Donor × Time, p < 0.001), with Pocillopora donors D20, D26, and D2 maintaining the highest percentages of survival. Site-level differences were significant: the reef star cluster at Punta Gallardo experienced 55 % survival of fragments, while the cluster at Platanares experienced total loss.
Conclusions: The CBCP enabled rapid deployment and survival tracking of vulnerable coral genotypes during an extreme bleaching event. Results demonstrate that restoration outcomes under acute thermal stress are shaped by pronounced site and genotype-level variability. Maintaining coral nurseries and programs that incorporate multiple species, diverse genotypes, and deployment across heterogeneous environments increases the likelihood that some corals persist despite widespread losses, thereby strengthening the overall resilience of restoration efforts under future marine heatwaves.
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