Coral Gardeners

Coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate - as much as 50% have already been lost in the past 30 years (UNEP). Between 2009 and 2018 alone, 11,700 square kilometres of coral have died, more than one million soccer fields of reef graveyards (ICRI). The decline could reach up to 90% by 2050 if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5°C,according to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report.

As the coral reefs around the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia slowly withered, Coral Gardeners was born in 2017 by 19 years old Titouan Bernicot and a bunch of his friends with the goal of saving the lungs of the ocean and the future of our marine ecosystems.

To date, they have replanted more than 30’000 corals.

The team identifies super corals and grows super coral fragments until they are mature enough to be transplanted back onto the reef. They use CG Labs to develop novel tools and techniques to further their coral knowledge andvimprove their coral reef restoration and monitoring methodology. Their scientists and engineers are continually working together to optimize and scale up coral reef conservation.

By 2025, Coral Gardeners hope to expand internationally, plant 1 million corals around the world and reach 1 billion people through awareness campaigns and stories.

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