Coral Reef Resilience

Coral reef resilience is a reef’s capacity to resist disturbance and recover its coral cover and function afterward, set by factors such as herbivore abundance, water quality, larval connectivity, and the frequency of bleaching events. As marine heatwaves recur on shorter intervals than reefs need to recover (a decade or more for slow-growing species), the management focus has shifted to protecting resilient reefs, reducing local stressors, and assisted recovery.