Reef Exchanges

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...

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...

Description: In response to the excitement and interest across the Network in MERMAID after our webinar on the topic earlier in 2025, we invited Dr. Emily Darling, Director of Coral Reef Conservation and Co-Founder, MERMAID, back to the network to talk with us a little more about how she developed the MERMAID platform. Emily brings along Shinta Pardede, Marine Science Unit Manager with the Wildlife Conservation Society in Indonesia, who tells us more about her experience using MERMAID in the ...

Historically, funding for MPAs has often fallen short of what is needed to ensure effective management and successful outcomes. At the same time, governments around the world are increasing their commitments to create and expand protected areas, bringing further attention to the need to secure adequate funding and prevent MPAs from becoming “paper parks.” In this episode, Dr. Angelique Brathwaite (Angie) describes Blue Alliance’s innovative MPA financing model, which supports “reef-posi...

As climate change threatens tropical coral reefs with warming waters, the search for areas where water temperature remains relatively cool during warming events has become a critical area of research. One avenue of research—known as the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis—is investigating whether mesophotic coral ecosystems can provide sanctuary for tropical corals facing warming sea surface temperatures. A key aspect of the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis is vertical connectivity—how larvae and geneti...

In this episode, Henry Borrebach and Kristen Maize from the Reef Resilience Network are joined by Rob McDonald, Lead Scientist for Nature-based Solutions at The Nature Conservancy, to discuss Nature-based Solutions for managing wastewater pollution. Nature-based Solutions provide an alternative to traditional gray infrastructure by using natural processes to capture and treat contaminated water before discharging it into the ocean or waterways. Wastewater can have negative impacts on c...