The Iberostar Wave of Change team in the Dominican Republic instituted a novel ex-situ Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) treatment that has demonstrated 94% success at treating coral colonies showing SCTLD-like lesions (n=34 with Dendrogyra cylindrus, Montastraea cavernosa, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Orbicella faveolata, O. annularis, and O. franksi). This treatment has shown to function as a valuable tool to preserve genetic diversity while also helping to keep SCTLD out of land-based restoration facilities. This workshop will thoroughly demonstrate the methods to professionally implement this protocol without the use of live corals, providing attendees with the knowledge needed to incorporate this protocol into their coral restoration and preservation activities. This workshop will also include a demonstration on how to implement in-situ SCTLD treatment methods.

During this two-part workshop we will bring industry leaders in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational science and technologies together with coral reef restoration practitioners to identify key areas that could be advanced within the field. Topics of discussion during part 1 will include but not limited to the currently available AI/ML tools, data security, accessibility, and storage, limitations of the tools available, identification of key areas of development across all areas of restoration. Each topic area or idea discussed will be documented and collectively ranked for priority and technology readiness level (TRL). In part 2 (invited guests), a road map and subsequent review paper for how computer science and technology will aid in more efficient scaling of the field will be developed.

The 2023 mass bleaching event and widespread mortality of acroporid corals underscores the need to employ data-driven approaches to increase restoration efficiency, success, and scale. This workshop will highlight the Acropora cervicornis Data Coordination Hub (AcDC), a web-accessible tool that facilitates the comparison of coral genotype performance data regardless of format, including important phenotypes such as growth rate, bleaching tolerance, and disease resistance. This workshop is aimed to accommodate ~75 individuals including restoration practitioners, managers, and scientists to familiarize themselves with AcDC and give feedback for future iterations to continue to meet the needs of the community. Join us as we demonstrate the platform’s new features for evaluating genet performance, guide you on how to submit data, and discuss expanding the tool to include more species across a larger geographic region.

Rising disease and bleaching events have led practitioners to consider moving coral to land-based facilities more than ever before for activities like live biobanking, coral spawning, larval settlement, and care. Many believe that lacking expertise and resources prevents them from making this possible. The Reef Institute offers a hands-on practical workshop on transitioning to land-based coral operations, covering vision, fundamentals, construction, problem-solving, and Q&A sessions. It benefits organizations considering land-based work, transitioning from temporary setups, or seeking practical insights on long term land-based coral work.

The workshop will be a Pacific-region centric introduction to larval-based restoration methodologies and insights into developing a successful program. Facilitators will discuss best practices for developing spawning calendars and conducting gamete collection, fertilization, rearing, settlement, and outplanting. We will review and demonstrate available technologies, look at successful programs in the region, and connect attendees with resources for continued learning.

The ETP restoration network (also known as the Red del Pacífico Tropical Oriental or Red PTO), is part of the Coral Restoration Consortium's Regional Practitioner Network and builds on a previous effort to improve collaboration among the various restoration efforts, and particularly to explore how to tackle the larger barriers in research and collaboration that would benefit all members of the networks. We invite ETP researchers to join us in this workshop, where we will: 1) refresh the membership of the Red PTO; 2) invite informal summaries of work being done by ETP practitioners; and 3) discuss opportunities for collaborative projects and research in this region.