https://www.forbes.com/sites/johannaread/2021/05/05/the-sheba-hope-reef-brings-hope-to-coral-reefs-everywhere-you-can-help-too/ Explore * Billionaires + All Billionaires + World's Billionaires + Forbes 400 + America's Richest Self-Made Women + China's Richest + India's Richest + Indonesia's Richest + Korea's Richest + Thailand's Richest + Japan's Richest + Australia's Richest + Taiwan's Richest + Singapore's Richest + Philippines' Richest + Hong Kong's Richest + Malaysia's Richest + Money & Politics + 2020 Money * Innovation + All Innovation + 5G + AI + Big Data + Cloud + Cloud 100 + Cognizant BrandVoice | Paid Program + Consumer Tech + Cybersecurity + Enterprise Tech + Future Of Work + Games + Health + Innovation Rules + Jumio BrandVoice | Paid Program + SAP BrandVoice | Paid Program + Science + ServiceNow BrandVoice | Paid Program + Social Media + SurveyMonkey BrandVoice | Paid Program + Sustainability + T-Mobile for Business BrandVoice | Paid Program + Venture Capital + Wind River BrandVoice | Paid Program * Leadership + All Leadership + Careers + CEO Network + CFO Network + CIO Network + CMO Network + CxO + Deloitte BrandVoice | Paid Program + Diversity, Equity & Inclusion + Education + Forbes EQ | Paid Program + Forbes The Culture + ForbesWomen + Google Cloud BrandVoice | Paid Program + Leadership Strategy + Splunk BrandVoice | Paid Program + Under 30 + Working Remote + Over 50 * Money + All Money + Banking & Insurance + Crypto & Blockchain + ETFs & Mutual Funds + Fintech + Hedge Funds & Private Equity + Investing + Markets + Personal Finance + Premium Investing Newsletters + Retirement + Taxes + Top Advisor | SHOOK + Wealth Management + Election 2020 * Business + All Business + Aerospace & Defense + Alteryx BrandVoice | Paid Program + Energy + Food & Drink + Hollywood & Entertainment + Honeywell BrandVoice | Paid Program + Manufacturing + Media + Policy + Retail + Ryder BrandVoice | Paid Program + SportsMoney + Tableau BrandVoice | Paid Program + Transportation * Small Business + All Small Business + Entrepreneurs + Franchises + Office Depot OfficeMax BrandVoice | Paid Program + Small Business Strategy + Square BrandVoice | Paid Program * Lifestyle + All Lifestyle + Arts + Boats & Planes + Cars & Bikes + Dining + ForbesLife + Forbes Travel Guide + Spirits + Style & Beauty + Travel + Vices + Watches * Real Estate + All Real Estate + Commercial Real Estate + Forbes Global Properties + Residential Real Estate * Shopping + All Shopping + Gear + Health & Wellness + Home & Kitchen + Style + Tech & Electronics * Coupons + All Coupons + Purple + Squarespace + Verizon + Lululemon + AT&T + Lowe's + Brooks Brothers + Tory Burch + Dr Martens + Dell + Chewy * Advisor + All Advisor + Life Insurance + Best Life Insurance Companies + Best Term Life Insurance + The Best Credit Cards Of 2021 + Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards + Best Cash Back Credit Cards + Best 0% APR Credit Cards + Best Travel Credit Cards + Best Business Credit Cards + Best Travel Insurance Companies + Pandemic Travel Insurance + Best Car Insurance Companies + Best Pet Insurance + Best Personal Loans + Best Student Loans + Best Student Loan Refinance + Best Tax Software For 2021 + Best Project Management Software + Forbes Advisor UK * Wheels + All Wheels + Best Sedans + Best Luxury SUVs + Best SUVs + Best Pickups + Best Performance Cars + Best Family-Friendly Sedans + Best SUVs & Crossovers + Best Electric Cars + Best Sports Cars * Lists + All Lists * Video + All Video * Newsletters + Crypto Confidential + Editorial Newsletters + Investing Digest + Premium Investing Newsletters * Forbes Magazine + All Forbes Magazine + Forbes Asia + Free Issue of Forbes * Latest + Coronavirus Coverage + Daily Cover Stories + Dark Capital + Editors' Picks + Election 2020 + Visual Web Stories * Featured + 30 Under 30 2021 + All Hands On Data - A Tableau Series | Paid Program + America's Top Women Wealth Advisors + Capital One BrandVoice | Paid Program + Changemakers In Action + Data Sharing In The Covid Era | Paid Program + DNA Of Success + Emotional EQuity | Paid Program + Forbes Insights with Capital One | Paid Program + Forbes Next 1000 2021 + Hitachi ABB Power Grids BrandVoice | Paid Program + Office Depot OfficeMax BrandVoice | Paid Program + SAP Concur BrandVoice | Paid Program + Schneider Electric BrandVoice | Paid Program + ServiceNow BrandVoice | Paid Program + Square BrandVoice | Paid Program + The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society BrandVoice | Paid Program + World's Billionaires List * Advertise with Forbes * Report a Security Issue * Site Feedback * Contact Us * Careers at Forbes * Tips * Corrections * Privacy * Do Not Sell My Info * Terms * AdChoices * Reprints & Permissions (c) 2021 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved Sign In Subscribe BETA This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here More From Forbes May 5, 2021,09:53am EDT The World's Most Visionary Hotelier Is Ready To Reinvent Luxury Travel May 5, 2021,08:40am EDT 21C Museum Hotels Launches Limited-Membership Loyalty Program With Unique Perks May 5, 2021,08:10am EDT Relax, Road Trippers. Gas Prices Are Unlikely To Spike This Summer, Say Energy Experts May 5, 2021,04:09am EDT LeBron James' Lobos 1707 Tequila Offers A Taste Of Mexico May 5, 2021,04:00am EDT As EU Reopens Borders In June, Which Countries Have Highest Vaccination Rates? May 5, 2021,03:13am EDT Cyprus: Latest EU Country To Open To Vaccinated Travelers On May 10 May 4, 2021,04:31pm EDT U.K. Declares Which EU Destinations Safe For Non-Essential Travel Edit Story May 5, 2021,10:30am EDT| The SHEBA Hope Reef Brings Hope To Coral Reefs Everywhere--You Can Help Too Johanna Read Johanna Read Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Travel I cover travel and responsible tourism. * Share to Facebook * Share to Twitter * Share to Linkedin Off the southwestern part of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is a tiny island called Palau Bontosua. Growing under the sea nearby are 46-foot-high letters spelling the word "hope". The letters, made from innovative reef stars and rapidly growing coral, signal the next phase of the world's largest coral restoration program. Check out the reef for yourself on Google Earth and watch this YouTube video of The Film That Grows Coral and you can help generate funds to restore more reefs around the world. Shot by a drone, the word ''HOPE'' is spelled out in green letters in a shallow part of the sea with only sparse coral cover. Deeper, bluer waters surround the area and at the bottom of the frame there's a boat that is about a third of the length of one of the letters. The SHEBA Hope Reef from above SHEBA The world's coral reefs are at risk Climate change has accelerated the destruction of coral reefs around the world--scientists say that without interventions 90 percent are at risk of dying this century, perhaps even by 2043. This puts at risk the food supply, the protection of coasts from storms and flooding, potential new pharmaceuticals, as well as tourism and the economic health of communities that rely on it. Coral restoration projects are an important part of reversing the damage, which is also caused by non-sustainable fishing techniques, pollution, and even by tourists swimming with the wrong sunscreen. The SHEBA cat food brand and parent company Mars Inc. are spurring action with their new coral restoration project and the SHEBA Hope Reef, announced May 5, 2021. Already having invested more than $10 million in reef restoration over the last decade and $1 billion through its Sustainable In A Generation Plan, SHEBA and Mars now aim to restore the equivalent of 148 Olympic-sized pools of coral reefs by the end of 2029. And they hope to spark more change from others. MORE FOR YOU Canada Will Require Using A Vaccine Passport For Entry Is There A Travel Ban From India To The United States? U.K. Declares Which EU Destinations Safe For Non-Essential Travel Restoring reefs in Indonesia's Spermonde Archipelago The Spermonde Archipelago off of Indonesia's Sulawesi island is known as the Coral Triangle. Once an area with an abundance of undersea life, dynamite and cyanide fishing that began decades ago resulted in not only the capture of edible fish but the killing of corals and other parts of the food chain. Work to restore the reef known as Salisi' Besar near the tiny island of Bontosua and its neighbor Badi began in 2019. Against a blue background is a yellow-sand covered reef star. It is hexagon-shaped with the ''spokes'' of the star protruding out form the edges of the hexagon. A 1/6th-size model of a reef star. Johanna Read, TravelEater.net Reef stars are an essential part of rebuilding a reef quickly. Marine scientists worked for more than ten years to research, develop, and perfect them. A reef star is a two-foot structure made of steel. It's covered with a coat of resin and then with several layers of sand to make a rough surface. The reef stars join together to create a strong and stable web on the sea floor with lots of space for coral to grow. The stars are handmade in local communities using locally-available materials so as to both increase employment and cut down the carbon footprint of transporting them from elsewhere. Carefully-selected coral fragments are sustainably harvested from nearby reefs that have similar or harsher environmental conditions compared with the planned new reef. The fragments are then attached to the reef stars, leaving plenty of room for growth. In focus in the foreground are small pieces of coral attached to a sand-covered metal frame. In the background and not in focus are two people standing in the ocean who are attaching the coral. Attaching coral fragments to reef stars off the island of Bontosua, Indonesia SHEBA A team of four divers can install about 250 reef stars in one day on the sea floor, with the help of more people who attach the coral fragments to the frames. In 20 days, they can plant about two acres of new reef. Off Sulawesi, the SHEBA coral restoration project has already planted more then 19,000 reef stars seeded with more than 285,000 coral fragments. Each project is tailored to its particular environment with the goal of restoring the original ecological state. The SHEBA Hope Reef The SHEBA Hope Reef near Bontosua is made of 840 reef stars and about 13,000 fragments of 42 different types of coral. The reef stars were arranged to spell out the word "hope" in 46-foot high, 30-foot wide letters and create a new reef almost 150 feet wide. It represents just 2.4% of the coral restoration work SHEBA is leading in the area. A book sits open with five photographs of Indonesian people working to create the reef stars. They include a man painting a steel frame, several people pouring sand over one, several people holding completed reef stars, a man standing in the ocean attaching a coral fragment, and a smiling man standing in the ocean holding up a seeded reef star ready to be planted and secured to the ocean floor. A model of a reef star sits on top of the open book. A model of a reef star and photos depicting the creation of the SHEBA Hope Reef Johanna Read, TravelEater.net SHEBA worked with community ambassadors--representing key groups including youth, women, and those who work in fishing--to plan the project, secure agreements with various levels of government, and to create the reef stars and the reef itself. Also essential to the project was direct community involvement in developing ways to change behaviors and ensure sustainable livelihoods. The creation of the SHEBA Hope Reef also serves as a hub for training others including reef builders, ambassadors, and staff at national parks, NGOs, and governments so that the project can grow elsewhere. On the sea bottom are remnants of gray, dead coral and above that are crossing bars of the sand-covered steel reef stars. Different types of coral are growing on many parts of the bars. The growing SHEBA Hope Reef, showing the reef star infrastructure and the growing corals SHEBA In less than three years, the replanted corals have grown to make the word "hope" visible from sky-high. Already, new types of corals not seeded on the reef stars are growing there too and the reef is attracting a variety of fish, even sharks, rays, and turtles. Since the reef was planted, coral cover has grown from five percent to 55 percent. Before long, the coral will have grown so much that the word "hope" will no longer be visible. More coral today means more fish--and a healthier planet--in the future. If you were to go snorkeling or diving at the Hope Reef, you'd likely see Hawksbill and Green turtles, eagle and devil rays, black tip reef sharks, and barracuda, as well as colorful butterflyfish, rabbitfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, Napoleon wrasse, and bump head parrotfish. SHEBA's Hope Reef is just one of many Other SHEBA Hope Grows restoration projects are already in Xcalak in the Mexican Caribbean and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Additional sites for new reefs are being evaluated in the Maldives, the Seychelles, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Ningaloo, Australia too. SHEBA's goal is to act as a catalyst for others to help save and restore reefs. Starting as a ripple, their coral restoration projects are creating waves of opportunities for even more action from governments, businesses big and small, and communities to protect the oceans they rely on. You can help, just by watching The Film That Grows Coral on YouTube A model reef star over a photo of the SHEBA Hope Reef A model reef star over a photo of the SHEBA Hope Reef Johanna Read, TravelEater.net Learn more about the SHEBA Hope Reef by watching this YouTube video of The Film That Grows Coral. Every view generates advertising money that will be invested in coral reef restoration by The Nature Conservancy, the project's campaign partner. "We're thrilled to unveil Hope Reef and show that there really is hope for our oceans. Our efforts around the world to restore and regenerate these precious ecosystems are showing exciting results and having a positive impact on local communities," said Mars Inc.'s chief marine scientist Professor David Smith in a May 5, 2021 statement. "We hope our efforts inspire others to join us so we can all play our part in helping prevent the extinction of our coral reefs." The world needs more awareness and action to protect and restore our oceans. The SHEBA Hope Reef shows that it's possible to restore a reef in just a year or two. When hope leads to action, the loss of ocean habitat and biodiversity can be reversed. Johanna Read Johanna Read I love to encourage travel that's culturally, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Whether I'm writing about a once-in-a-lifetime trip or the restaurant down ... Read More I love to encourage travel that's culturally, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Whether I'm writing about a once-in-a-lifetime trip or the restaurant down the street, I try to add elements of responsible tourism to show travellers easy ways to avoid making places worse when we visit (and maybe even make them better). I've visited every continent solo (except Antarctica), been to 60+ countries, and feel incredibly fortunate to live in Vancouver, Canada. Drawing on my former career as a Government of Canada policy executive, I've written a lot about COVID-19, including for a Fodor's guidebook. My bylines include National Geographic, Fodor's, Lonely Planet, USA Today, Reader's Digest, The Independent, and Canadian Traveller. All my work is at TravelEater.net, and you can find me on Instagram @TravelEaterJohanna and Twitter at @TravelEater. Read Less * Print * Reprints & Permissions [ ]