Milan, Nice, 13 June 2025 – During the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, SEA BEYOND, the project by Prada Group in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC), announces its support for Coral Gardeners, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs.

This collaboration will help Coral Gardeners in scaling their science-based reef restoration efforts in French Polynesia, Fiji, Thailand, and beyond, by empowering local communities with advanced technologies. The Coral Gardeners team collects fragments of climate-resilient corals from the wild and grows them in dedicated nurseries for over a year before replanting them in nearby degraded reefs.

Through their research and development center, CG Labs, their team of engineers and scientists have developed a suite of innovative data collection tools, including AI-powered image analysis, underwater cameras and a coral monitoring app; these gather crucial data on coral reef health – such as survivorship, coral coverage and marine biodiversity – to enhance reef conservation strategies.

Since its foundation in 2017, Coral Gardeners has already planted over 160,000 tropical corals, helping to turn damaged marine habitats into thriving ecosystems. The aim of this collaboration is to expand their impact and reach the target of more than 200,000 corals in nurseries and 50,000 new corals planted by the end of 2026.

The project will also enable the exploration of a potential new Coral Gardeners branch in the Mediterranean Sea, contributing to the goal of creating a global network. This ambitious initiative will include expeditions with marine biologist and Goodwill Ambassador of SEA BEYOND, Giovanni Chimienti, to conduct an assessment of the coralligenous status of the Mediterranean Sea.

As well as advancing coral science and restoration, SEA BEYOND and Coral Gardeners will also raise awareness to inspire the next generations of ocean custodians, providing teaching resources for the fourth cycle of the SEA BEYOND educational module developed for secondary schools all over the world, starting next September. This interactive module titled “Saving Coral Reefs: From Science to Storytelling” draws on the expertise of Coral Gardeners and explores coral reef ecosystems, hands-on conservation practices, and the power of storytelling as a tool for advocacy.

All the materials developed by UNESCO-IOC and the Coral Gardeners experts will be published on the Ocean Literacy Portal, a global platform that offers educational and scientific resources to explore the role of the ocean, as well as with the Blue School Global Network¹.

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, declared:
“We are delighted to support Coral Gardeners and give our contribution to the ongoing crisis facing coral ecosystems worldwide, while at the same time raising awareness of the crucial role of corals and the urgent need to protect them. We hope to help future generations understand the importance of preserving these priceless treasures of the sea.”

Titouan Bernicot, Founder of Coral Gardeners, said:
“Coral Gardeners’ mission is to revolutionize marine conservation, and we are thrilled to have the support of SEA BEYOND to help protect coral reefs through science and education. Together, we’re scaling restoration, empowering youth, and setting new standards for purposeful conservation.”

Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet, supporting a quarter of all marine life, but their future is uncertain. The world has already lost as much as 50% of its coral reefs in the past 30 years; and without immediate and bold action, they could face extinction by 2050.