In a Policy Forum, Andrew Baker and colleagues discuss the recent regulatory action in Florida that has enabled the world's first international coral exchange. The exchange was done to bolster genetic diversity in declining elkhorn coral populations, enhancing their resilience to climate change and other environmental pressures. Expanding such efforts to other coral species and regions will require international collaboration and a reevaluation of current conservation laws, note the authors. Coral reefs are among the most climate-sensitive marine ecosystems, with prolonged heat stress causing increasingly frequent and devastating bleaching events. For example, the historic marine heatwave of 2023 delivered a particularly severe blow to staghorn and elkhorn coral populations across Florida and the Caribbean. To help preserve species and maintain ecosystem function, researchers are turning to assisted gene flow (AGF), a conservation strategy that introduces genetic material from healthier, nonlocal populations to restore genetic diversity and boost resilience.
Florida regulators recently approved the outplanting of elkhorn coral offspring bred from parents originating in both Florida and Honduras, which will be the first time internationally sourced coral offspring have been permitted for restoration on wild reefs anywhere in the world. According to Baker et al., while this landmark decision marks an important step in AGF efforts, further regulatory action is crucially needed to proactively expand efforts to other critically threatened sites and species. In order to achieve this, amendments to international conservation law, particularly the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), are required. Despite these hurdles, the authors argue that establishing shared regional coral nurseries and equitable genetic resource-sharing agreements, Caribbean nations can work together to safeguard and restore coral reef ecosystems. "Historically, the precautionary principle 'take no action unless there is high certainty no harm will result' was the basis for endangered species law and was appropriate in an age of relative environmental stability," write the authors. "Windows of opportunity for effective large-scale implementation of AGF are closing rapidly; waiting until genetic rescue is 'needed' to save coral species on the brink of extinction may well be too late."
