Coral reef collapse in Florida Keys exposes systemic climate-disease synergy threatening marine biodiversity and coastal economies

Indigenous fire management practices in the Caribbean, such as those used by the **Taíno and later Afro-Indigenous communities**, historically maintained coral resilience by controlling algal overgrowth and promoting biodiversity. The **Seminole Tribe of Florida** has documented coral nurseries in the Keys, using traditional knowledge to outplant genetically diverse corals—a practice ignored in the study. Colonial disruption of these systems, including the suppression of Indigenous fishing rights post-1900, directly correlates with modern reef decline. The study’s exclusion of such knowledge reinforces the erasure of stewardship traditions that could inform restoration strategies.