{
  "abstract": "Coral reefs are threatened by interacting local (fishing, coastal development) and global (climate change) stressors that degrade coral cover and reduce overall reef biodiversity. Adding coral to the reef (coral restoration) is gaining prominence as a management strategy, however it is unclear whether restoration alone can ensure self-sustaining high coral cover (i.e., > 30% coral cover) under interacting stressors. We assess how much restoration is needed for a self-sustaining healthy coral reef using a mathematical model and real-world restoration case studies. We find that a reef with low macroalgal cover and high coral recruitment requires low levels of restoration to ensure self-sustaining high coral cover. As nutrient enrichment and fishing increase, more restoration is required to ensure self-sustaining high coral cover. Thus, if the reef is facing high local human stressors, restoration is unlikely to ensure self-sustaining high coral cover, suggesting that under such conditions conservation resources should first be allocated towards reducing the impact of stressors, prior to any restoration.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America",
    "Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Cole Baird Brookson"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ariel Greiner"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c75jxcz7vznzd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0355728",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "c75jxcz7vznzd",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0355728",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Life cycles/Larvae"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Community ecology/Trophic interactions/Herbivory"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems/Reef ecosystems"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Plant ecology/Plant-animal interactions/Herbivory"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Marine biology/Coral reefs"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Marine biology/Corals"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Algae"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant ecology/Plant-animal interactions/Herbivory"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Behavior/Animal behavior/Grazing"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animal behavior/Grazing"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Marine and aquatic sciences/Marine biology/Coral reefs"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Marine and aquatic sciences/Marine biology/Corals"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Marine and aquatic sciences/Reefs/Coral reefs"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Community ecology/Trophic interactions/Herbivory"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystems/Reef ecosystems"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Plant ecology/Plant-animal interactions/Herbivory"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical reactions/Bleaching"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Behavior/Animal behavior/Grazing"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4404828227",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0355728&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-02",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c75jxcz7vznzd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:02Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0355728",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0355728"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:ecology",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Coral restoration is only practical when local human pressure levels are low",
  "title_text": "Coral restoration is only practical when local human pressure levels are low",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:02Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c75jxcz7vznzd",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}