In the Davao region, the island garden city of Samal may be on the top list of dive sites. But equally enthralling are the diving sites of Mati City in Davao Oriental. Once the region's best-kept secret, it is now touted as the next big tourist destination with the recent pronouncement of its three bays as among the world's most beautiful.

The three bays are Pujada, Mayo and Balite, which all have good diving sites since they are rich in coral reefs.

Unfortunately, some parts are not in good condition. "They need to be protected because corals have been affected by overfishing," said Francisco Juan Diaz Martinez, a foreign diver from Buceo An Cabo de Gata company. "Within five years, you can bring back the beauty of the ecosystem in Pujada Bay."

Four international organizations are aware of the current situation in Mati City, so Team Malizia, Zurich Germany, rrreefs and the Mama Earth Foundation are teaming up not only to restore destroyed coral reefs but also to reforest vanishing mangrove patches.

The collaboration is in connection with the Planet Hero Award, given annually by Zurich Insurance for climate-promoting initiatives as part of its partnership with Team Malizia.

Zurich Insurance is the first insurance provider committed to complying with the international agreement to limit the planet's warming to 1.5 degrees. It created the Planet Hero Award for forward-looking projects that aim to improve environmental and climate protection.

Team Malizia, on the other hand, is a professional offshore sailing team led by German sailor Boris Herrmann.

The group rrreefs is the first recipient of the Planet Hero Award. The female-founded startup based in Switzerland that rebuilds damaged coral reefs was given the award in 2021.

The Mama Earth Foundation was founded by German national Ulrich Kronberg more than 10 years ago. Working closely with the coastal communities and local university in Mati and authorities like Professor Lea Jimenez and her team, Mama Earth Foundation has established programs for farmers to help them secure their income base and prevent them from being forced to illegally cut down trees due to financial hardships.

Reduce carbon dioxide levels

The four organizations are jointly working on a project located in Pujada Bay, where Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia and the Mama Earth Foundation have been actively involved for many years in restoring the mangrove ecosystem through the creation of the Malizia Mangrove Park.

"Working in collaboration with the local university and with a mission to provide a better income for local communities, we have already planted over 800,000 mangrove seedlings," Kronberg said. "Our objective is to reduce carbon dioxide levels by binding large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

According to Kronberg, Pujada Bay was declared a marine protected area in 1994. "It is also an ideal location for the restoration of both mangroves and coral reefs together."

Doing so, he stressed, can bring additional benefits for both mangroves and reefs. "The increased biodiversity of the reefs may help young mangroves store more carbon, and in turn the mangroves may help the regenerated reef by decreasing ambient water temperature and sediment in the water," he explained.

For this project, the reefs will rebuild a damaged coral reef using their modular system made from 3D-printed clay bricks. The system provides a foundation for corals to grow and fish to thrive and enables the regrowth of a healthy reef ecosystem without further maintenance.

In like manner, about 3,000 mangroves will be planted in front of the restored reef, and another 3,000 mangroves in front of a degraded reef that will not be restored.

"This experimental approach provides an opportunity to understand the potential benefits of the simultaneous restoration of mangroves and coral reefs," Kronberg said.

Positive social impact

In addition to the environmental aspect, positive social impact plays an important role for the project partners. Academicians and students from Davao Oriental State University in Mati are actively involved in all steps of the project, and the teams work with local communities along the coast as their participation is crucial to the success and long-term sustainability of the restoration efforts.

"It is amazing to see how our various efforts and partnership network are coming together to rehabilitate two ecosystems that are crucial for our planet," Herrmann said. "As a sailing team, the ocean is our home, our workplace. We all depend on the ocean, but it is threatened by climate change. From contributing to scientific research to community-building and to local environmental restoration efforts, this project represents our shared commitment to preserve our ocean."

Carsten Schildknecht, CEO of Zurich Germany, also said, "The 'Reviving Pujada Bay' project is an impressive example of the positive impacts that result from the Planet Hero Award. We not only honor promising innovative and effective environmental and climate initiatives as part of our sustainability strategy, but we have also established a platform for communication, networking and collaboration. The interplay between science, environmental protection and social commitment has the potential to lead the way for other initiatives."