Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on our planet... and we've already lost half of them. Coral Gardeners is working to fix this and aims to have 1 million climate-resilient corals planted by 2025.

Photos by CG team members Ryan Borne & Killian Domingo

Our mission

We aim to revolutionize ocean conservation and create a global movement to save coral reefs around the world through reef restoration, public awareness, and innovative technologies.

Photos by our team member Killian Domingo 

History of Coral Gardeners

Coral Gardeners started in 2017 on the island of Moorea, which is near the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. The reefs around us were degrading before our eyes. So Titouan decided to take action and brought together a small group of island kids from Moorea to restore coral reefs. Today, a small group of enthusiasts from Moorea has become an international team dedicated to reef conservation.

CG results

Coral Gardeners is growing fast. In 2022 we reached our goal of planting as much coral in just one year as we had planted in the previous 5 years. In total we have planted 30,980 corals and restored 5,278 m² of reefs near the 3 islands of Moorea, Tikehau and Ache since we started Coral Gardeners.

Coral reef restoration

Step 1: Building a nursery

The first step in reef restoration is building a coral nursery. They come in different types, but all serve the similar role of holding small coral fragments while they grow to the necessary size. We mainly use coral tables. One coral nursery contains an average of 12 such tables. We build them underwater using specialized equipment and materials.

Photos Killian Domingo 

Step 2: Planting coral fragments in the nursery

Next, we collect small coral fragments from healthy reefs and plant them in our nursery. There are approximately 3,700 coral fragments per coral nursery. It will take about 12-18 months for them to grow to the necessary size.

Photos by our team member Killian Domingo 

Step 3: Monitoring and maintaining

We keep a regular eye on the corals while they are growing in the nursery. It is also important to encourage growth during this time, to keep them free of algae, and to repair the nursery if it was damaged in a storm or other incident.

Photos by CG team members Ryan Borne & Killian Domingo

We are also actively working on new technologies. One such technology is ReefOS. It is a special device that has many sensors, and cameras, and collects the most important data, such as the number of fish and their species, coral growth and cover, water temperature, and so on.

Photos by CG team member Noe Langronier

We set up ReefOS near our coral nurseries. This allows us to monitor the corals in our plantation more effectively and collect all the necessary data. ReefOS also kept a continuous feed from our plantation on YouTube.

Photos by CG team member Noe Langronier

Step 4: Planting coral on a damaged reef

Once the corals have reached the necessary size, the planting season begins. At this time, we collect the grown corals from our nursery and plant them on the most damaged reefs.

Photos by CG team members Ryan Borne & Killian Domingo

Often the planting season begins in the winter, and it takes several weeks to plant all the corals on the reef.

Photos by CG team members Ryan Borne & Killian Domingo

Construction of a new coral nursery

As part of Humance project, we will build a new coral nursery near Moorea Island. Then we will grow about 3,700 coral fragments on it and plant them on damaged reefs when they reach the necessary size. We will also publish updates about the nursery and unique content for philanthropists who support our project.

Still wondering how to help fix our blue planet? Support our project and take part in coral reef restoration with us.