Restoring marine ecosystems to conserve the value of our ocean

Promoting the ecological restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems globally

Marine ecosystems are under pressure globally resulting in dramatic losses in structure, function and biodiversity. Factors driving these losses include anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, overfishing and destructive fishing practices, and, more recently, climate change effects, such as ocean warming, and acidification.

These losses lead to the decrease in the quantity and quality of the delivery of associated services these ecosystems provide such as coastal protection, fisheries productivity, carbon storage, tourism opportunities, and a long list of invaluable cultural values. Coral reef and associated ecosystem services are valued in trillions of USD per year, and their loss represents a real danger for our wellbeing.

Large scale solutions include climate action, fisheries management, and pollution control but reversing declines also call for restoration efforts. Following concepts developed for terrestrial systems, coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses can be re-planted to re-establish functioning, self-sustainable ecosystems.

With global expertise and partnerships, our mission is to facilitate the design, implementation, monitoring, and communication of marine ecosystem restoration projects around the world.

Why restore reefs?

About Us

We are an international scientific consulting agency that focuses on social and ecological aspects of marine ecosystem restoration. Through our partnerships with expert organizations around the world, our work aims to:

INFORM scientific research for the restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems;

SYNTHESISE latest research to assist the development of management and policy guidelines ;

ASSIST managers and practitioners in the design, implementation, and monitoring their restoration projects;

Margaux Hein, PhD

Dr. Margaux is a marine biologist and the Lead Consultant of MER Research and Consulting. Originally from the Principality of Monaco, she obtained a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Science at the University of Queensland and her Masters and Doctorate at James Cook University in Australia. Her research focuses on the social and ecological characteristics of coral restoration success. With projects around the world since 2012, she is currently acting as an official consultant with the International Coral Reef Initiative, and the Reef Resilience Network.

Current CV | ResearchGate | LinkedIn | Twitter

Projects

dc-Cover-h05edmoc1abv29uesh8d2688u7-20161126031220.Medi.jpeg

UN Environmental Programme

Official consultant for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with the mission to lead and write a UNEP report on global best-practices for coral restoration.

Screen Shot 2020-08-13 at 2.22.46 pm.png

The Reef Resilience Network

Working with our partners at the Reef Resilience Network building online course material, and helping develop and implement a Manager’s Guide for coral reef restoration planning and design.

Best Practice Coral Restoration for the Great Barrier Reef

Co-investigator on the Australian project “Best Practice Coral Restoration for the Great Barrier Reef” funded by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP), in collaboration between James Cook University and Reef Ecologic.

The Global Fund for Coral Reefs

As part of our mission with UNEP, we are consulting with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs to develop the Fund’s Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy.

International Coral Reef Initiative

Ad-hoc committee member for the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) on reef restoration. We also serve as consultants on a range of projects associated with coral reef restoration, specifically for ICRI. Visit ICRI’s Reef Restoration Hub here.