ENGINEERING & INNOVATION
The vision of the Engineering and Innovation Working Group (EIG) is to foster a community to facilitate innovation for coral reef restoration.
The methods, tools, and technologies for coral reef restoration have been evolving and improving since restoration efforts began, typically in the workspaces of restoration practitioners who have designed and built these innovations. The United Nations have dubbed the current decade (2021-2030) the Ocean Decade, highlighting the need for solutions to drastically increase capacity and scale of coral restoration. Restoration practitioners are the innovators with first hand knowledge of their local reefs and what will work best. EIG Stakeholders are a group of individuals interested in providing their time, expertise, and support to the coral restoration community.
The Chair of the EIG is Brooke Lynn Elzweig (Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment), the Co-Chair is Miles McGonigle (SECORE International), and the Secretary is Megan Ramirez (KAUST Reefscape Restoration Initiative).
PRIORITIES
As a working group of the CRC, the EIG focuses on CRC’s Priority #2 defined for 2020-2025: Increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment.
Click here to see our Community Guidelines.
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON
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Quarterly Stakeholder Meetings. These meetings aim to increase opportunities for collaboration and networking between Stakeholders while increasing awareness of new, existing, and emerging innovations for coral reef restoration.
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Engineering Position Qualifications Guidelines. We are developing a resource for restoration practitioners interested in hiring engineering professionals that outlines different types of engineers and qualifications that engineers should possess to support the needs of practitioners.
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Materials for Coral Restoration - a sub-group of the EIG focused on how to improve the efficiency, speed, and survival rate of coral colonies transplanted during restoration.
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Stakeholder meetings are generally scheduled on a quarterly basis. These meetings are open to anyone interested in participating. These meetings aim to increase opportunities for collaboration and networking between Stakeholders while increasing awareness of new, existing, and emerging innovations for coral reef restoration.
These meetings will be a forum for
1. sharing high-level updates regarding EIG-network projects and opportunities,
2. hosting presentations from practitioners and innovators, and
3. networking with others who may be interested in collaborating.
Below are recordings of our previous Stakeholder Meetings.”
Stakeholder meetings
Technology & Innovation
Ring-Mount Unitary Nursery and Rapid-Planting Solutions
August 31, 2023 | Underwater Stickiness – Enabling Rapid Out Planting With Squirt Stick and Go
April 28, 2023 | Coral Reef Restoration for Risk Reduction
