This January, the next phase in the global expansion of the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Program takes the Mars Sustainable Solutions team to East Africa where they will scout new restoration sites in both Kenya and Mozambique. Alongside these scouting missions and working in partnership with The Ocean Trust, scuba conservationists, the team will install the first ever Reef Stars across the East African Region, out planting over 1000 coral fragments and marking an exciting milestone for coral reef restoration. Not only are we building reefs, but we’re also building meaningful and impactful partnerships with the local community and other partners across the region, fostering the cross-sector collaborations needed to restore coral reefs at scale.

East Africa marks a critical development for the program and according to Professor David Smith, Mars, Inc. Chief Marine Scientist, East Africa is a key eco-region for coral restoration.

“The coral reefs of Eastern Africa are amongst the world’s most biodiverse. In the middle of this reef system sits Kenya which is home to more than a quarter of all coral species. But like many other regions of the world, Kenyan reefs are endangered and in need of protection and restoration. Our partners are now equipped to deliver further restoration across the Kenyan coastline, forming part of our global alliance to deliver scalable coral restoration to provide renewed Hope for reefs around the world!”

As a result of this pilot Reef Star site in Kenya, the coral restoration program is now active and operational across seven countries and 30 reef sites, covering all major tropical regions. Utilizing the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS) and collaborating with partners, we’ve now installed close to 60,000 Reef Stars, out planting nearly 900,000 corals, with coral cover increasing from less than 5% to 70% within a few years.