In all of them, we found that strategically conducting restoration activities near or bordering existing patches of the target species can enhance the structural connectivity of the landscape, while also increasing the potential for fertilization between the wild population and outplanted specimens.

Our models show that considering the spatial distribution of the focal species is crucial in restoration activities. We tested our models under three different reef scenarios (degraded, healthy, and randomly distributed).

Specifically, we propose a framework that integrates image analysis of commercial drone data and spatial modelling based on landscape ecology theory to identify restoration sites that structurally connect patches of a key reef-building coral across ecologically meaningful scales.