The SHEBA® brand
When you think of cat food, coral reef restoration may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
The SHEBA® brand is aiming to change that.
In fact, the cat food brand's Sheba Hope Grows™ program has for years been working on ensuring a future with more fish, with a long-held commitment to helping restore coral reefs. More than $16 million has been invested in research, builds, and community engagement over the last 15 years from both the brand and Mars, the SHEBA brand's parent company.
More coral today, more fish tomorrow
In 2019, the SHEBA brand began its work on Hope Reef, part of a global movement to help restore coral reefs around the world. Unveiled in 2021, Hope Reef — located off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia — is one of the world's largest repaired coral reefs. When viewed from above, it spells out the word "HOPE" and has become a Historical Landmark on Google Earth. Mars internal monitoring and data indicates that since the restoration of Hope Reef, coral growth has increased from 2% to 70%, and fish populations grew by 260% with a 64% rise in the number of fish species.
Through the Sheba Hope Grows™ program, there are 30 restoration sites in 10 countries across five continents, and now a partnership here in the United States with Kuleana Coral Reefs, a nonprofit organization helping to restore and protect Hawaiʻi's coral and native ecosystem.
Kuleana Coral Reefs was founded in 2019 by a group of native Hawaiians, fishermen, surfers, scuba divers, scientists, and ocean conservationists who recognized an alarming decline in the overall health of local reefs and coastal ecosystems due to human impact and coral bleaching. The organization is dedicated to restoring Hawaiʻi's degraded coral reefs by cultivating resilient marine ecosystems. It approaches restoration work by combining indigenous knowledge with modern scientific practices, like monitoring local reefs to inform ecosystem-based management decisions, track the success of restored corals, and quantify populations of marine animals.
The SHEBA brand and Kuleana Coral Reefs both feel a responsibility toward the environment
For the SHEBA brand, everything comes back to providing cats with high-quality and nutritious food while respecting the world's marine environment in the process. Sustainable fishing depends on the seas' resources, after all.
For Kuleana Coral Reefs, responsibility is even in the name. The word "Kuleana" means "reciprocal responsibility" in Hawaiian, pulling from a deep emotional and spiritual connection between the natural world and native Hawaiians. To honor one's "Kuleana," Hawaiians must care for, nurture, and love coral (and all living things), and coral has a reciprocal responsibility to feed and love Hawaiians.
Thanks in part to the SHEBA brand's support, Kuleana Coral Reefs is restoring damaged coral reefs throughout the Hawaiian archipelago so they can persist naturally and without further human intervention. The organization is now also able to scale its operations and build a replicable model, maximizing its impact and amplifying its restoration work from recent years.
By showing the world that there's a man-made solution to this man-made problem, and one that can be implemented at scale, the SHEBA brand and Kuleana Coral Reefs are continuing to inspire hope, drive momentum, and show that it's possible to have a more sustainable fish population for years to come.
Coral reef restoration doesn't only save species, but communities
According to the National Ocean Service and the Smithsonian Ocean Portal, climate change is a large reason why coral reefs are dying. Rising ocean temperatures are causing the extremely temperature-sensitive coral to bleach, which is the first sign of coral death. Coral death can lead to the destruction of marine ecosystems, and with that comes the extinction of fish.
And not just that: While yes, more coral means more fish, according to Global Seafood Alliance, scientists estimate that without intervention, 90% of the world's tropical reefs will be gone by 2043, threatening 25% of the world's marine life and impacting nearly half a billion people who directly depend on them.
Restoring coral reefs is a vital step toward not only preserving our planet's health and biodiversity but helping the many local communities around the world who depend on them for food, income, and coastal protection.
Learn more about SHEBA's mission to restore the planet's coral reefs.
This post was created by The SHEBA® brand with Insider Studios.