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Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Tituan Bernico grew up on his family’s pearl farm in the French Polynesian atoll of Ahe and considers the ocean such a big part of his identity that he calls it his best friend. So it’s no wonder that Bernico has so much passion for his work.
At just 18 years old, Bernico founded Coral Gardeners, an organization focused on restoring native coral reefs. Over the next seven years, he assembled a team to restore and plant more than 100,000 resilient corals on atolls across the Pacific.
Bernico, now 25, has also appointed global celebrities as Coral Gardeners ambassadors, including actor Jason Momoa, who met with members of the group earlier this year to get involved in their efforts.
And now that Momoa’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has recently hit theaters, Coral Gardeners has teamed up with the film in a campaign to raise awareness of coral bleaching and the damage caused by climate change (the film’s distributor, Warner Bros. is a unit like CNN). from Warner Bros. Discovery).
Actor Jason Momoa (center), who plays Aquaman, with Coral Gardeners member Taiano Teho (left) and founder Tituan Pernicu (right). Photo credit: Ryan Borne
The partnership was named “Lost Colors” because the process of coral bleaching, usually caused by warm water, causes the coral to expel some of the algae that gives it its color.
If the temperatures remain too high, the algae cannot return and the coral dies.
Once a coral reef dies, it becomes very difficult to regrow, and at that point the reef ecosystem begins to collapse, which Bernico and Coral Gardeners are trying to prevent.
Revitalizing local coral reefs
The islands and atolls of French Polynesia are surrounded by coral reefs. Photo credit: Killian Domingo
Scientists estimate that between 70 and 90% of the world’s coral reefs will disappear within the next 20 years, and the entire ecosystem is at risk of destruction by the end of the century.
“I want to fight for these little creatures, for these fish, the octopuses, the sharks,” Bernico said. “They don’t have the voice we have and they don’t really need it, they just need people who have it.” Be there for them and I want to be “among the people who are saving their habitats.”
One of the most important ways to support local coral reefs is to “recycle” old rope and other waste from abandoned pearl farms that destroy corals and use them to create coral schools.
These nurseries are made up of small pieces of coral that can grow in a protected underwater environment.
Most of Coral Gardeners’ work has been carried out on Moorea Island. Photo credit: Ryan Borne
Once they reach a healthy size and condition, they are usually reintroduced into natural environments where corals can then grow.
Last year, the Coral Gardeners team grew more than 15,000 corals in French Polynesia, including 9,400 in its nurseries.
Bernico and his team run one of the many coral schools they have founded. Photo credit: Noe Langronier
In 2023, Coral Gardeners reports that the total number of corals planted has quadrupled, with more than 70,000 corals planted this year.
The nurseries will also be used to support the Bernico team in research and provide information about the best environment for coral growth and the performance of different species in different conditions.
The organization’s in-house research and development center, CG Labs, has developed tools such as underwater mapping robots and AI-powered cameras.
A solution for the future
Tetuan Bernico and his team spend hours in the water every day restoring coral reefs. Photo credit: Ryan Borne
The goal of Coral Gardener Odyssey 2025 is to restore one million coral reefs in the next few years, reach one billion people and expand globally, with a team already working in Fiji, says Bernico.
The group is also working on further collaborations, including partnerships with “conscious brands” to create effective environmental protection activities.
But ultimately, for Bernico, it’s all about the community in which Coral Gardeners was founded.
Working with many of his former colleagues, this reef restoration project is truly a local effort.
“No one would have thought that one day we would be able to answer the question ‘What do you want to do’ with ‘I want to be a coral farmer,’” Bernico said.
He emphasized: “It wasn’t a job, but it’s real now.”
“They are living proof that today you can get paid to do something worthwhile,” Bernico added.
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