Section 4
Impact Above Water
When we install Reef Stars, we don’t just regrow coral. We spark a global movement of long-lasting and meaningful partnerships that expand our impact far beyond the reefs we are directly restoring.
Impact Above Water
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Stories of Hope
When we install Reef Stars, we don't just grow Hope for the coral reefs we're restoring. We grow and spread Hope for each person who is part of the journey, providing tangible evidence that there are man-made solutions for man-made problems.
Marion Thebault
Sheba Hope Grows Collective Champion, France
Marion Thebault
Sheba Hope Grows Collective Champion, France
Hi everyone, I'm Marion, I am French, currently living in Paris and have a big passion for the Ocean & Music! I joined Mars as my first company 6 years ago and have grown and developed in the organization since then. In 2020, I joined the Sheba team as the European Brand Manager. Mars gave me this amazing opportunity to combine my passion for the Ocean with work, leading the exciting launch of the Sheba Hope Grows program in EU. Working on this project helped me understand the urgency of the coral reef situation and awakened a new life purpose for me. Since then, I have been diving more and more, obtained qualifications and became a coral gardener in partnership with a French NGO that restores coral reefs. I feel proud to work for a company who cares and act for this important cause, and to be part of the Sheba Hope Grows movement.
The Sheba Hope Grows program has awakened a new life purpose for me! This is the beginning of an amazing journey to restore this beautiful ecosystem, and I am so excited by what’s coming next!
COMMUNITY DRIVEN
Our community driven impact reaches far beyond our local reefs and islands. We engage with community leaders and representatives, as well as regional and international universities, to make sure our reef restoration creates the maximum possible benefit for as many people as possible. We ensure to involve multiple stakeholders including local communities, NGOs, researchers, and agents of government, within every stage of the restoration process – from the development
of the MARRS its continued evolution and deployment. This includes how it’s integrated with local laws, and ultimately how it is monitored and used to inform future projects and policies.
OUR METHODS
As we share our methods, we are expanding into new collaborative projects with local communities and Traditional Owners in a range of different social and environmental contexts. We take a supply-chain approach to reef restoration; each link in the chain provides an opportunity for the local community to be directly involved. There are multiple entry points to the process, which increases the skills required and diversifies and expands participation. Consequently, large numbers of the local community are involved in restoration, with over 10% of the local Bontosuan Island community actively participating in restoration.
In addition to reef restoration, we provide funding & support for projects aimed at delivering sustainable ‘reef-based’ livelihoods, supporting community cohesion & engagement, and providing restoration training to increase the local capacity of the local community to restore their own local reefs.
For example, at our flagship site in Indonesia, members of the local Bontosuan Community received their PADI Open Water dive qualification and MARRS competency training to form the Bontosua Community Restoration Team (BCRT), capable of supporting future restoration builds and restoring their local reef. We also support schools in teaching children about the importance of coral reefs, through educational snorkelling and glass-bottom boat tours.
We are committed to the long-term sustainability of restoration and will continue to develop our community-based approach for years to come.
STREAMS OF DIFFERENT SKILLS
Next section
People and Partnerships
We train partners across the world who share our vision for community-based restoration at scale.