Paul Mitchell And Patron's Founder Invests In Man-Made Coral Reefs

As majestic and beautiful as they are, coral reefs are also crucial to the world economy. Coral reefs, sometimes called the “rainforests of the sea”, support approximately 25% of all marine species. In addition to the vitality of coral reefs to the sea, they are also vital to human life. Climate change has contributed to the loss of more than half of the planet's coral reefs since the 1950s.

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported that the total value of coral reef services for the United States alone, including fisheries, tourism, and coastal resilience, is over $3.4 billion each year. As a result of this, the U.S. economy is saved from damage caused by floods, which results in $1.8 billion in flood protection benefits every year. Additionally, there is $200 million in value each year for commercial and recreational fisheries whose success depends on coral reefs.

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As a result, an unlikely pair of marine scientists are joining forces to not only save existing reefs but to create new reefs that will last for a lifetime. Dr. Deborah Brosnan, the ocean shot project founder, and John Paul DeJoria, the founder of the Patron Spirits and John Paul Mitchell hair care systems, are both working together. Over the past 25 years, Brosnan has studied coral reefs mainly in the Caribbean, and has developed an interest in them.

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According to Brosnan, coral reefs are in jeopardy. We have already lost over one-third of our coral reefs, and the prospects of losing more are not good. In other words, we at this moment are losing more coral reefs in one day than the world can rebuild in a decade.

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While coral reefs occupy a fraction of the ocean floor, Brosnan explained that they support more than half a billion people a day and are one of the most important eco-systems on our planet, they also provide a lot of resources to other ecosystems. It is estimated that living coral reefs break 95% of the energy in waves, creating a calm lagoon and protecting us from storm surge. Reefs are reducing sea level rise.

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The solution that Brosnan proposes involves not restoring damaged reefs, but rather replacing them with manmade reefs that are designed to withstand the effects of climate change in a way that is far more resilient.

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 According to Brosnan, "We developed technology to determine which shape and size a reef should have in order to promote biodiversity and to protect the coasts of the world, so that there is a reef in the right place at the right time.

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PH-neutral concrete - calcium carbonate - is used to build the reefs, which mimics the natural composition of coral reefs just like they are. It's a dead skeleton, but then corals are attached from a nursery. A total of 300 corals from three species are attached to the reefs, and then fish begin to inhabit them. 

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Brosnan's first project was installed off the coasts of Antigua and Barbuda last fall, and the project cost approximately $1 million to implement. Brosnan was able to secure funding from a billionaire named DeJoria to complete the project.

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There are a few ways in which I pay my rent. It's my way of remunerating myself for living on this planet called earth. Having a real estate project on Barbuda is just one of them.

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Consequently, the project embodies a billion-dollar project that includes the construction of beautiful, high-end homes. It's an incredible project. "The people I work with are very wealthy people, and they really appreciate the fact that they are getting good jobs, making good money, and helping to repopulate the reefs." he said.

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Despite DeJoria's claims that he will bring jobs to the islands with the restoration of the reefs, there is a much wider economic effect associated with the project.

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It is important to remember that when you take away a coral reef then you lose extraordinary beauty, therefore tourism will drop because it becomes a place that people do not want to be. Furthermore, you can also lose fisheries. Coral is vital for fisheries, which will negatively affect the economy." said Brosnan.

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 A facility will be built on Barbuda by Brosnan and DeJoria for the production of these reefs that could then be installed anywhere in the world. They have two others ready to go, but they can't scale the system because of the costs involved. The technology is there - it's just scaling that is a challenge.

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 Whether or not the world will listen to this is the question Brosnan asked. "This can be achieved in the region, and it can be accomplished internationally, too." What we need is the investment in the technology, the investment in its deployment, and the recognition that it is in our best interests to invest in the technology, the deployment, and the recognition that this investment will result in a positive return on investment, not just for our own health, but also for the livelihood of at least a billion people all over the world.