Coral reefs are experiencing unprecedented levels of degradation due to human impacts, resulting in an urgent need for conservation action. Smithsonian scientists have created innovative reproductive techniques to cryopreserve (preserving cells under cold conditions) and conserve coral. Rising ocean temperatures and increased ocean acidification can potentially cause severe loss of reef biodiversity. If this occurs, cryopreservation will be important for successful reef restoration.

Please describe your innovation?

An international group of coral and cryopreservation scientists (www.reefrecovery.org) have joined forces to develop innovative tools for the continued protection and propagation of coral around the world. We focus on the conservation of coral through the use of cryopreservation, long-term banking of coral reefs, the development of restoration strategies using our banks and international training and capacity building. A frozen repository can keep the cells alive for hundreds of years, providing a hedge against extinction. Smithsonian Institution and University of Hawaii scientists are creating new methods for coral conservation by applying modern reproductive techniques to cryopreserve coral sperm and larval cells. Our goal is to form a frozen repository for coral species in Hawaii and around the world. We accomplish this by cryopreserving coral sperm and pluripotent larval cells, placing them in long-term liquid nitrogen storage, and then thawing the sperm to create new coral.

What is the problem or situation that your innovation seeks to address?

Humans need healthy ocean ecosystems, as the oceans produce 80% of the air that we breathe. Reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the oceans because they nurture over 25% of all life in the ocean, protect our cities from storms, maintain livelihoods by adding as much as 300 billion dollars annually to our global economy, shelter the fish we eat, and are a source for future pharmaceuticals to help fight diseases. Unfortunately, increased levels of greenhouse gasses are warming our oceans, making them more acidic and causing the coral to stress, bleach, be more susceptible to newly emergent diseases and potentially die. Unfortunately, creating marine protected areas alone will not stop rapid reef degradation, because the stressors are now global. Our innovation will allow us to act now, creating frozen banks while coral genetic diversity is still high. Without this we face losing one of our major global ecosystems, and our survival here on Earth will be harmed by their loss.

What effort have you made to test out your new idea?

Our successes to date: -Created the first studies to successfully cryopreserve coral sperm and dissociated larval cells -Successfully banked 5 coral species, specifically the two US endangered species, Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis, Hawaiian species, Fungia scutaria, and Australian species, Acropora tenuis and Acropora millepora. These cryopreservation methods are uniformly successful (with all coral species tested), making this innovation widely applicable and practical -Created inexpensive methods to allow this innovation to be transferred throughout the worls and used on location on the beach -Creating the blue-print to use these banks for reef restoration (i.e., used frozen and thawed sperm cells to create new coral that developed, settled and grew for 6 months in captivity). -Established the first frozen repositories for coral in the US and Australia (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16026961) -Generated wide international media exposure detailed online

What is particularly noteworthy or novel about your innovation?

We created the first basic studies to successfully cryopreserve coral sperm and dissociated larval cells. We are applying these methods to develop practical conservation and management tools for reefs in Hawaii and around the world. Freezing coral is an advanced approach that can capture the world’s imagination and help catapult this fledging area of conservation into mainstream consciousness. The results of our work will impact food resources, the global economy, and human health by preventing the loss of reefs. If reefs fail, fish will become scarce and hunger throughout the world will increase. Coral also have potent marine bi-products that may help treat human diseases. Finally, reefs support local economies as well. For example, the Great Barrier Reef generates 6 billion dollars annually for the Australian economy. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority also believes that a frozen repository would be of great benefit to the reef.

What impact do you expect your innovation will have on the problem or situation described in the previous question?

Over the next 30 to 40 years, rising ocean temperatures and increased ocean acidification have the potential to overpower the vast majority of current in situ coral conservation efforts, such as marine protected areas, resulting in harmful loss of reef biodiversity. If this occurs, this project may provide the sole means for maintenance of reef biodiversity and restoration. This innovation will provide future generations the option of returning these banked species back into the ocean. It is wise, expedient, and cost-effective to implement these conservation measures now both as an effective long-term insurance for our reefs as well as a way to help diversify shrinking populations today. At the current time, the Smithsonian and our partners are the only group in the world that is applying this particular type of ex situ conservation (cryopreservation) to reefs that could reduce the extinction threat to these beautiful and vital ecosystems.

What other community partners will you need if your innovation is to scale beyond your organization?

Our innovation has already scaled beyond the Smithsonian, but we need both local and global support. The technical development for this innovation has taken place in Hawaii, but thus far there has been little local financial support. For example, there is no federal, state or community support to maintain or help us expand the bank beyond the single species of Hawaiian coral currently in the Hawaiian bank. A partnership based at the Smithsonian Institution and including the University of Hawaii, NOAA, local conservation NGO’s, and Hawaii’s public zoos and aquariums could play a crucial role in both financially supporting this ex situ conservation program and educating the public about its importance. We also need to train the next generation of conservation biologists and creating stronger ties with high school biology programs throughout Oahu would provide a continued source of interns for our program.

Why are your organization, partners, and key personnel suited to take on this project?

The Smithsonian conducts research to aid the survival or recovery of species and their habitats. We are leaders in the study, management, protection and restoration of threatened species, communities and ecosystems. The Smithsonian’s impact is amplified through professional training in conservation biology and public education to inspire others to protect the world’s biodiversity. Dr. Mary Hagedorn is a world-class aquatic cryobiologist and has developed a partnership with scientists at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, other universities in the US and Canada, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, and SECORE (an international scientific coral conservation consortium). Many of these partners are leaders in the field of coral biology and coral husbandry. With these core scientific partners, this ex situ conservation program is eminently feasible as the knowledge and expertise is available, and public awareness is increasing.