Integrative Approaches to Coral Reef Resilience and Conservation Under Global Change

Coral reef ecosystems face significant anthropogenic threats, which have been extensively documented in research focused on their management and conservation. Despite numerous efforts, coral reefs continue to suffer losses due to climate-related bleaching events, pollution, and overfishing. These pressures are contributing to a future where reefs will be significantly altered in species composition and biodiversity. As foundational elements of marine ecosystems, the degradation of coral reefs has a profound impact on the human communities that depend on them for vital services such as food provision and coastal protection. Recent studies have explored adaptive strategies, such as establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), coral restoration, and genetic modification to enhance coral resilience. However, current research predominantly targets minimizing species loss and often isolates the conservation efforts for specific faunal groups, without adequately addressing their interconnected ecological roles within the whole reef ecosystem.

This Research Topic aims to foster integrated research that contributes to an integrated understanding of coral reef conservation under plausible future scenarios of global change. The intent is to bridge the gap between ecological and social research, thereby facilitating comprehensive strategies that encompass the entire reef ecosystem and associated services. We seek to attract submissions that explore conservation of whole-reef systems, focusing on ecosystem services and the broader social and ecological functions that are at risk in degraded reef environments. The key goal is to inform more effective conservation and management practices that consider both ecological complexity and social dependencies.

To gather further insights in integrative and holistic coral conservation, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Loss of ecological functioning of depleted coral reefs

• Effects of coral loss on other reef species, including alterations in food webs and nutrient cycling and impacts on human food security

• Links between coral reefs and adjacent ecosystems, and the feedback mechanisms caused by losses in coral cover and species richness

• Quantitative assessments of the relationships between coral loss, reef function, and ecosystem goods and services

• Applications of combined management, conservation, and restoration techniques to optimize resilience and achieve conservation objectives

We encourage submissions that innovate across these areas, and particularly value interdisciplinary research that spans ecological and social sciences to address the complex challenges that coral reefs face today.

Keywords: Coral reefs, climate change, reef function, conservation techniques

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.