Golden Lab’s Planetary Health Research Group
The Golden Lab uses planetary health approaches to examine the human health impacts of climate and environmental change. Our team is split into two, with half of us focusing on data science approaches to establishing systems of climate-smart public health, and the other half focusing on healthy and sustainable food systems, with a particular focus on aquatic foods.
Building 2, Room 329
655 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Artificial Coral Reef Interventions for Human Food Security
The global loss of coral reefs threatens human lives because these ecosystems provide food, income, and shoreline protection. The decline of reefs and rise in poverty is particularly acute in Madagascar. This project builds artificial reefs and seeds them with biota from healthy natural reefs. We aim to rebuild reefs to increase fisheries catch in Madagascar. We will conduct one of the first controlled, replicated, in situ studies of artificial reef technologies across the 170 square kilometer Ranobe Bay. This experiment will allow us to empirically test whether seeding artificial reefs with ARMS increases biodiversity and biomass, fish abundances, fisheries landings, human dietary diversity, human consumption of seafood, and reductions in the incidence of stunting, wasting, anxiety and depression.