Restoring Watershed and Coral Reef Health Through a Community-Led Initiative in Guam, U.S.A

Coastal development projects often lead to the destruction of adjacent coral reefs, even when a governmental permitting process is followed.  Although regulations may require no environmental net-loss, the replacement of coral reef ecosystem structure and function through mitigation cannot be guaranteed due to deficiencies in habitat assessment tools.  A community-led watershed and coral reef restoration initiative called ‘The Humatak Project’ was revived during the summer of 2011 in a small watershed in the U.S. island territory of Guam to improve mitigation implementation strategies as well as to raise awareness of local environmental threats and global climate change concerns.  Coral reef mitigation effectiveness is of concern in Guam due to an anticipated military build-up set to increase the island’s population by as much as 20% in the next few years, accompanied by coral dredging and coastal development activities.  Partnerships among stakeholders, scientists, high school and university students, and local resource agencies were established to improve land conditions and subsequently restore the health of adjacent coral reef ecosystems. Previous studies distinguished accelerated erosion, caused mainly by fires started by deer poachers, as the primary watershed concern. Highly eroded areas were identified for the installation of erosion control measures.  Volunteers planted over 600 Acacia trees, and deer attractants were donated to hunters to promote alternatives to burning.  Additional measures, including the installation of Vetiver grass retaining walls and sediment filter socks, are being incorporated into the project.  Sedimentation and coral health data are being collected to evaluate and refine mitigation strategies.