Please join the RCAT Network on October 13th at 4 pm PT to discuss the critical connection between our oceans, coral reefs, and planetary health, and how Rotary clubs around the world can join forces to build 118 artificial coral reefs for 118 years of Rotary.

Today, over half a billion people directly depend on reefs for food, income, and protection. However, every single person and every single species on this planet depend on coral reefs to keep the ocean’s delicate ecosystems in balance, which help mitigate some of the worst effects of the climate crisis from being felt on land.

The reef itself is a hub for thousands of species of fish, corals, and more. With the ever-changing conditions of the ocean rapidly accelerating due to climate change, the reef-building corals are not able to withstand the extreme conditions and are disappearing right before our very eyes. Just one species of coral disappearing from a given reef is enough to throw the ecosystem out of balance, and start a detrimental cascade of events that will threaten the ocean’s ability to host life, sequester greenhouse gases, and more.

We can be the solution.

With your support, 118 Rotary Reefs will be constructed in the Rotary Year 2022-2023 for the 118th year of Rotary. Funds will be used to create reefs and support a Coral Reef Bank, which supports the preservation of coral genetic diversity, to save these species from becoming extinct.

Each artificial reef provides a new, safe, non-degradable structure for all the species that rely on coral to grow and feed upon for decades to come. It takes only 7 years for the new reefs to develop to a point where it is so covered in life that it is indistinguishable from normal reefs. Learn more.

A quick look into the rapid rate of coral reef deterioration and extinction, and the vision for the Rotary Reefs project, all of which will be discussed in more detail during the forum.

Please join us on October 13th to learn more about the issues at hand and our solution from:

• Steve Bender, President of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach, creator of the Rotary Reefs project
• Hadley Willman, RCAT Network Administrative Coordinator and Rotaract Chair for the Rotary Reefs project
• Rachel Wright, Research and Communications Associate on the Rotary team at the Global Climate Pledge

Watch the Recording