Protecting the Future of Cayman's Coral Reefs Through Resilience and Restoration: Reef Lecture

While there are numerous local causes of coral loss (e.g., pollution, destructive fishing practices, etc.), the two most detrimental stressors currently impacting the survival of corals are bleaching caused by thermal stress and disease. As our ocean continues to warm and outbreaks of disease become more prevalent, it is critical to understand the capacity of organisms to adapt and/or acclimate to changing conditions and seek solutions to promote resilience and sustain biodiversity. Initiating a science-based restoration program in the Cayman Islands in 2011, CCMI has been and will continue to be a pioneer in the coral reef restoration arena. Current restoration empirical investigations coupled with available long-term ecosystem data at CCMI provides the basis for furthering knowledge of reef resilience. Dr. Goodbody-Gringley discusses results from our past restoration studies and presents a new outlook for development of resilient coral populations through advanced restoration techniques that will shape the future of coral reefs in the Cayman Islands.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley, PhD
Director of Research, CCMI

Dr. Goodbody-Gringley received her PhD from Harvard University in 2009, where her dissertation focused on coral reproductive ecology and genetic connectivity across the Caribbean. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Georgia and participated in the Three Seas Program through Northeastern University before continuing on to graduate school. After completing her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at MOTE Marine Laboratory, where she developed on coral restoration techniques and examined the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. She then spent a year in Italy at the University of Bologna studying genetic connectivity of corals within the Mediterranean, before taking a faculty position at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. In Bermuda, Dr. Goodbody-Gringley’s research focused on ecosystem function, the adaptation of corals to extreme environments, and the management of invasive lionfish. To conduct her research, she uses technical rebreather diving to access deep reef systems and determine their capacity to serve as areas of refuge under future climate change scenarios. As the Director of Research and Distinguished Scientist at CCMI, Dr. Goodbody-Gringley leads the Reef Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, where she continues to explore deep reef ecosystems and examine the resilience of coral reefs through adaptation and acclimatization.

CCMI's restoration projects are made possible by the generous support of Dart Cayman Islands, Consolidated Water (Cayman Water), Disney Conservation, the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries, Aureum Re, and the AALL Foundation.

Many thanks to the Healthy Reef supporters who make the Reef Lecture series possible:
Foster's Supermarket
Butterfield Cayman
Ogier
Aureum Re
Dart
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company