Key success factors and problems in coral transplantation: A review

The coral reef is one of the important coastal ecosystems in the tropic and sub-tropic regions, serving as a feeding area, spawning location, as well as habitat for many marine biotas. This ecosystem is highly productive, providing a habitat for more than one million species of marine organism. In addition, it also supplies ecosystem services for hundreds of millions of people across the tropic and subtropical regions. Despite its integral role, coral reef is undergoing rapid degradation. Rehabilitation or restoration of damaged coral reefs is a very significant program that must be carried out by various stakeholders, including coastal communities. This paper aimed to systematically review relevant works related to the rehabilitation or restoration of coral reef ecosystems, with an emphasis on the propagation or transplantation of coral reefs. The review contains several specific issues such as coral reef rehabilitation, restoration, remediation, and transplantation, and the development of methods and media, as well as limiting factors of transplantation activities.