Reef Exchanges

Reef Resilience Network
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The Reef Resilience Network’s podcast, Reef Exchanges, features conversations between Network team members and experts from around the world. Each episode features an in-depth discussion around a new development in marine science and management. You can listen to episodes below, or where ever you get your podcasts. 

Episodes

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Hold it Together: Stabilizing Rubble for Reef Restoration

    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).

    30 min

  2. 10/11/2025

    Monitoring Coral Bleaching with Drones

    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.

    27 min

  3. 28/10/2025

    Improving Reef Monitoring with MERMAID

    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.

    23 min

  4. 07/08/2025

    Trust the Process: Climate Adaptation Planning in The Bahamas

    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.

    13 min

  5. 25/04/2025

    Financing an MPA: The Blue Alliance Approach

    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.

    18 min

  6. 29/01/2025

    Management Effectiveness for MPAs with Lauren Wenzel

    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.

    13 min

  7. 16/01/2025

    A Deeper Dive Into Mesophotic Reefs with Camille Kaczmar and Dr. Jessica Bellworthy

    As climate change threatens tropical coral reefs with warming waters, the search for areas where water temperature remains relatively cool during warming events has become a critical area of research. One avenue of research—known as the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis—is investigating whether mesophotic coral ecosystems can provide sanctuary for tropical corals facing warming sea surface temperatures. A key aspect of the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis is vertical connectivity—how larvae and genetic material move between shallow and deeper reefs.   In this episode, Camille explains the context for why mesophotic reefs and vertical connectivity are relevant for reef resilience, and Dr. Bellworthy walks us through research she conducted to test the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis in the Gulf of Aqaba. Visit mesopotic.org to learn more about mesophotic ecosystems.

    13 min

  8. 10/10/2024

    Getting Started with MPA Enforcement with Sunny Tellwright

    MPA Enforcement, better understood as Monitoring, Control, Surveillance, and Enforcement (MCS&E), can be critical to effective coral reef management efforts, and many members of the Reef Resilience Network have identified enforcement as an area where they need more training and support. To address these needs, the Network, in partnership with Blue Nature Alliance and in close collaboration with WildAid, is developing a suite of online resources (including this Reef Exchanges episode, a webinar, case study, and online toolkit) for marine managers on MPA Enforcement.  During this episode, Sunny provides an overview of the core concepts behind MCS&E, including how context-dependent and people-powered MCS&E systems are, while also touching on nuances and key considerations for managers to keep in mind as they being to scope their own MCS&E systems.

    22 min

  9. 27/09/2024

    Making the Case for Nature-Based Wastewater Solutions with Rob McDonald

    In this episode, Henry Borrebach and Kristen Maize from the Reef Resilience Network are joined by Rob McDonald, Lead Scientist for Nature-based Solutions at The Nature Conservancy, to discuss Nature-based Solutions for managing wastewater pollution.   Nature-based Solutions provide an alternative to traditional gray infrastructure by using natural processes to capture and treat contaminated water before discharging it into the ocean or waterways. Wastewater can have negative impacts on coral reefs and human health, primarily through transporting pathogens, nutrients, and contaminants into the ocean. It is estimated that 80% of wastewater globally is discharged into the environment without any treatment at all.   In addition to introducing Nature-based Solutions and how they combat wastewater pollution, Rob helps us work through how marine managers can make the case for Nature-based Solutions. These tips can be used to build support for Nature-based Solutions with your colleagues, partners, funders, and others, helping to implement low-cost, long-term solutions to wastewater pollution with lasting multiple benefits for us all.

    30 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

The Reef Resilience Network’s podcast, Reef Exchanges, features conversations between Network team members and experts from around the world. Each episode features an in-depth discussion around a new development in marine science and management. You can listen to episodes below, or where ever you get your podcasts. 

Information

  • Creator
    Reef Resilience Network
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Nature Conservancy
  • Show Website
    Reef Exchanges