Monitoring Coral Bleaching with Drones

From 2023-2025, in response to the fourth global bleaching event and the urgent need to identify, protect, and restore climate-resilient coral reefs, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Stanford University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution led a global effort, called Super Reefs, to identify and protect a network of climate resilient reefs. On this episode, Tiara Stark, Maui Marine Project Manager with TNC in Hawai’i, talks with us about her experience as a Super Reefs project manager. From connecting big science ideas with local communities to learning new skills, Tiara gives us her manager’s-eye-view on implementing a complex research-driven project without losing track of the needs and priorities of the local community and the reef itself. 

On this episode, we are joined by Julia Rose, Coral Restoration Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Hawai’i. Julia talks about her experiences conducting coral bleaching monitoring during the 2015-2016 El Niño and mass coral bleaching event in Hawai’i. She shares the reality of her personal experience monitoring coral reef loss, as well as actions she is taking and where she is finding hope as we prepare for this year’s very strong El Niño. As she invites at the end of the episode, if you would like to connect with Julia and other coral restoration practitioners, please join the Reef Resilience Network at reef resilience dot org.

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 been taking to marshal the resources and time needed to rapidly address invasive soft corals. 

Eutrophication, species die-offs, and overfishing herbivorous fish and urchins have led to faster-growing algae in many areas of the Caribbean, preventing corals from recruiting and recovering from disturbances. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Alwin Hylkema, Associate Professor of Coastal Ecosystem Restoration at Van Hall Larenstein University and Wageningen University. Alwin describes his work restoring local sea urchins to the reef, and the potential for combining herbivore restoration with coral reef restoration through “tandem restoration” that can improve outcomes across a reef system. You can read a summary of Restoration of herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: are fishes, urchins, or crabs the solution? at reef resilience dot org.

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 provide suitable habitat for coral settlement or growth. Whether through rubble stabilization or installing artificial reefs, physical restoration techniques are literally foundational practices for effective coral reef restoration. The opinions that Suki expresses are hers alone and not those of The University of Queensland or Reef Restoration & Adaptation Programme (RRAP).

As a part of Bleaching Awareness Month, led by our partners with the Coral Reef Alliance and International Coral Reef Initiative, we check in with longtime friend of the Network, Dr. Steve Schill. Steve talks with Henry and Annick about the process of going from using a small drone affixed with a digital camera to survey reefs to operating a fixed-wing surveillance drone that can monitor hectares of reef area in a single day’s work. As the frequency and severity of coral bleaching events increases, having the ability to conduct rapid reef monitoring enables managers to make timely and effective decisions. 

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 field. Access this free guide to learn more about how to use MERMAID. 

In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy Northern Caribbean Program, the Reef Resilience Network created a process for updating MPA management plans to be Climate-Smart and led implementation of that process with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT). In this episode, we sit down with two BNT staff to learn about their experience. Ellsworth Weir, the Director of Parks, and Alyssa Bastion, a Parks Planner, provide their perspectives of working to prepare their parks for the impacts of climate change. They share advice for MPA managers and planners who are just beginning to think about updating management plans to be Climate-Smart. You can read more about the project through this case study, hear more from Alyssa through this webinar recording, and take a deeper dive into the process through the Climate Adaptation Toolkit.

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-positive businesses” that create positive outcomes for ecosystems and communities by returning revenue back to management efforts. Listeners will learn about successes that Blue Alliance MPAs have experienced in generating income to support effective MPA management. 

With the Convention on Biological Diversity’s ambitious 30x30 commitment—aiming to increase the coverage of "effectively conserved and managed" areas to 30%—there is renewed attention on the pivotal role marine managers can play in achieving this goal. In this episode, Lauren Wenzel, Director, National Marine Protected Areas Center, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, discusses whether there is a minimum level of effective management required for an MPA to count towards a country's 30x30 goals, what it means to adopt management effectiveness standards, and practical steps managers can take to navigate the current focus on 30x30 commitments and ensure their areas are effectively managed.