OceanShot, an innovative coral ecosystem restoration project, proudly announced the next phase of its scaled expansion during a first-of-its-kind underwater panel at the Global Citizen Forum.
The novel meeting joined OceanShotโs founders and partners, diving deep under the surface to raise awareness and encourage action around the dire state of our oceans and the critical importance of coral reefs.
Taking the conversation underwater for the first time in history, OceanShot co-founders, climate scientist Dr Deborah Brosnan and global philanthropist, environmentalist and entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria, brought together PADI CEO and President Dr Drew Richardson, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, and the Global Citizen Forum founder Armand Arton, for a groundbreaking session.
Emphasising the need for cross-sector collaboration across tech, government, science, and entrepreneurs, the forum announced OceanShotโs next coral reef deployment and plans to break ground on the OceanShot Lab in Antigua.
โTalking about the importance of our oceans, in the ocean, is unique, and it brings home our powerful connection to the sea,โ Dr Brosnan said. โItโs quite simple: no oceans, no us is a fact. The sea provides 50% of the planetโs oxygen and has absorbed 90% of the excess heat from climate change. If we protect nature, she protects us โ and our reefs show that so well.โ
โWith 8 billion people on the industrialised planet now, the future of the worldโs ocean has never been more dependent on our decisions and actions to prioritise ocean life support โ as humanity and ocean are both vulnerable and both codependent,โ says Dr Richardson, one of the most influential people in scuba diving, who has transformed PADIโs mission to create a billion Ocean Torchbearers.
โBy partnering with leaders from OceanShot, Global Citizen Forum and Antigua and Barbuda, we are committing to inspiring more innovative and positive solutions for the health of coral reefs, the ocean and our joint futures on this shared blue planet.โ
โThe ocean belongs to all of us, and together weโve got to do right by it.โ said John Paul DeJoria. โWe have the opportunity now to show the world that real solutions exist โ and weโre thrilled to be entering the next phase of OceanShot to continue restoring healthy coral reefs.โ
OCEANSHOTโS EVOLUTION TO IMPLEMENTABLE, SCALABLE SOLUTIONS
One year ago, Dr Brosnan officially launched OceanShot, designed to promote the concept of restoring reef ecosystems and the many habitats and services that they provide.ย The programme includes the growth and recovery of resilient corals.
Created in partnership with John Paul DeJoria, the pair worked closely with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and created a partnership with PADI and Global Citizens Forum.ย
AI cameras deployed on the ocean floor have shown that 36 species of fish have moved into the newly created habitats along with many key invertebrates from lobster to octopus.ย During the year, the flagship project grew to include 16 coral nursery trees growing over 3,000 fragments for outplanting nine species to support coral restoration.ย ย
The solutions provided by OceanShot were designed to be transferable, scalable, and deployed to other nations โ and now, the project is expanding further into Antigua and the United States:
- OceanShot Living Lab: Breaking ground on Antigua and Barbuda, the OceanShot Lab will be a place to test new technologies for reefs and marine life, and ultimately create solutions for other island nations to readily deploy.
- Expansion of Reef Modules: OceanShot announced plans to deploy the second of its tailor-made coral modules in the coming year.ย Much like the flagship project off the coast of Barbuda, OceanShot will engage local communities, coral reef biologists, sea level rise experts, and coastal engineers for an intensive, year-long ecosystem study to best design coral modules.
โWe are not only working to restore corals, but to create a fully functioning reef ecosystem that has the ability to mitigate climate change, sea level rise, storm surge and keep sand on the beaches,โ said Dr Brosnan. Adding, โOceanShot can now be deployed globally, to help governments prioritise ocean resilience and blue economy industries like fishing and tourism, as well as restore biodiversity.โ
