It's important to celebrate our planet and the people protecting it every month. Enter: the communities leading coral reef restoration
From Hawaii to Indonesia, Reef Builders is the coral reef restoration project proving that hope isn’t lost - and local communities might hold the key to saving our oceans.
While April - and Earth Month - may now have passed, here at MC UK, we celebrate protecting our planet, eco-preservation, and doing your bit for the earth year-round. That said, the month does offer us a moment to reflect on the current state of the climate. While most of us are doing our bit to embrace sustainable living, what we consume shapes our the future, which means education is key.
That said, in an era of climate anxiety and concern over greenwashing and the declining rainforest, it’s not always easy to find stories that feel hopeful. While we can do our best to shop B-Corp brands, sustainable fashion brands and do our small part for the planet, it can be hard to find hope. But deep under the sea is one place where hope is desperately needed - and can be found.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coral reefs are in global decline, with their very existence considered to be “in jeopardy” unless protection and restoration are dramatically scaled up. In 2024, the NOAA announced the fourth and most widespread global coral bleaching event ever recorded. If bleaching is prolonged, it can lead to the death of coral reefs. But there is hope, and if you’re looking for something hopeful to inspire your actions, keep scrolling.
Why does coral reef restoration matter?
“Your lives are dependent on reefs in some way or another, even if you never see one,” says Professor David Smith, Chief Marine Scientist at Mars, during a recent panel for Reef Builders, a new documentary on reef restoration.
For communities living near these reefs, the impacts are immediate. In the film, a fisherman shares how his neighbours’ homes have been washed away by coastal erosion, a direct result of reef collapse. But Reef Builders offers something rare in environmental storytelling: hope. Not a blind kind of hope, but the kind built through community, science, and collective action.
What can be done to save coral reefs?
That’s the question at the heart of Reef Builders, a new documentary presented by Sheba, which follows one of the world’s largest and most ambitious coral restoration programmes.
The film offers a rare look at how restoration works and how different communities are coming together to make it happen. The initiative takes place in more than 70 active sites across Indonesia, Kenya, Australia, and Hawai’i and shows that coral restoration isn’t just possible, but extremely powerful when we come together to take action. At its core is the ‘Reef Star’: a handmade, star-shaped steel structure placed on degraded reefs, giving coral fragments a stable surface to grow on.
“The art of restoration is really about giving nature a little energy,” explains Professor Smith. “You’re not rebuilding from scratch… you’re just helping the reef remember how to heal itself.”
What makes Reef Builders stand out from other climate documentaries, though, is its focus on the people behind the science. As Auli’i Cravalho - actor, environmental advocate, and associate producer on the project - puts it: “I wanted to give our flowers to the people already doing the work, the fishermen, the firemen, the local communities who come together to rebuild the reef. They are the story.”
The film captures what restoration really looks like: collaboration, care, and trust. “I was surprised by how fast coral can grow when given the chance,” Cravalho tells Marie Claire UK. “It’s a man-made solution to a man-made problem, and that gives me hope.”
Why Reef Builders matters
At a time when climate storytelling can feel rather heavy or even hopeless, Reef Builders offers something rare: a story of recovery, led by people who have the most at stake.
“Some of these people are fishermen, firemen, they have day jobs,” Cravalho tells Marie Claire UK. “And they still give their time to restore the ocean. They are pillars in their communities.”
For Cravalho, the connection is deeply personal. “I don’t have a scientific degree,” she said. “But I think I make up for that with excitement… I love being young, being Hawaiian, and getting to show that we can all be part of this, even if we’re still learning.”
“Our creation story begins with the coral polyp,” she added. “So this isn’t just environmental for me, it’s cultural. To be connected by the ocean, and not separated by it - by a species of coral that can’t even speak - that’s what brought us together.”
What can you do to help coral reef restoration?
Coral reefs might feel distant, but the ocean touches all of us. As Professor David Smith puts it: “We are an island nation. Our lives are influenced by the ocean, and the ocean needs coral reefs to function properly.”
Here’s where you can start:
- Make ocean-friendly choices: Use reef-safe sunscreen, cut down on single-use plastic, and eat sustainable seafood.
- Avoid microplastics: Although tiny, microplastics can impact sealife, find out more about them here.
- Educate yourself and speak up: Earth Month is a great time to educate yourself on topics you may not have heard about, and read more of our Earth Month content. Share stories like this one because awareness spreads action.
- Curate your feed: Follow Gen Z Climate Activists for daily inspiration.
“We don’t need a thousand scientists,” Smith says. “We need a thousand voices. And we’ve got them, if we choose to use them.”
You don’t need to get into a wetsuit to make a difference. Just a willingness to care and to act, however you can. And if you’re looking for a place to start? Watch Reef Builderpresented by Sheba Hope Grows. Let it remind you what’s still possible.
