But let's take a step back: in these five years, in fact, DoDo and Tēnaka have restored 2.5 hectares of marine ecosystems that are fundamental for biodiversity, climate and human health. The DoDo Cora Nurseries and mangroves: installed in the heart of a protected area, in the Coral Triangle in Malaysia and Indonesia, global epicentre of marine biodiversity, to protect over 3,500 species while eliminating over 70 tonnes of CO2 in the DoDo Blue Forest.
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In the year of its 30th birthday, DoDo returns to support the social enterprise Tēnaka in Tioman in Malaysia, restoring its coral reefs with the DoDo Coral Nursery.
Thirty years of DoDo, thirty years of commitment to nature. Always active in supporting environmental issues by supporting our precious ecosystem, for the fourth year DoDo returns with a new project in favour of the French social enterprise Tēnaka.
In 2024, with this new collaboration, DoDo is supporting Tēnaka with a donation to restore 500 square metres of damaged coral reefs, populated by over 50 species of corals. Restoration programmes already started in 2020 and 2022 to reach a total repair area of 3,000 square metres today, contributing to the repopulation of other species such as the blacktip shark, parrotfish or giant clam.
A world ready to become even more efficient with the development of Artificial Intelligence, thanks to cameras that will support the biologists' work with continuous shots: the first tests of this technology, planned for late summer in Tioman, will unveil exciting new realities.
A concrete project that of the social enterprise Tēnaka, founded by the young and talented Anne-Sophie Roux. Her passion, just a few months ago, led her to achieve a new success, becoming Advisor to the French Ministry of the Sea and Biodiversity, dealing, for example, with deep-sea mining, the deep-sea treaty and the plastic treaty, as well as the United Nations Conference on Oceans planned for 2025, organised by France together with Costa Rica.
"We are proud to have been among the first to believe in Anne-Sophie by supporting the social enterprise Tēnaka," explains Sabina Belli, CEO of DoDo. "The results we have obtained are amazing: we are convinced that the Coral Reef Restoration project in Tioman can be an example to many other virtuous realities. After all, since its inception, DoDo has been a pioneer in proposing collections with messages dedicated to nature, supporting many initiatives in Italy and around the world".
Face to face with Alvin Chelliah: a marine biologist born in Malaysia and based in Tioman, to delve deeper into the activities of the Tēnaka social enterprise
How do you carry out your work?
In what way is the DoDo Coral Nursery most important?
How is your relationship with the government and the local population?
And the relationship with tourism?
We monitor coastlines and coral reefs incessantly, collecting a lot of data. Not only on the development of coral, but also on the marine life of this beautiful place: to understand how our work stimulates the repopulation of so many species of fish, turtles and sharks. We aim for the improvement of all local marine biodiversity.
In what way is the DoDo Coral Nursery most important?
Fundamental is the rehabilitation of coral. We replant it in places where it has been damaged in the past, trying to
make it take root quickly, then supporting living and deteriorated corals. We build structures for them and, where the
damage is greater, we clean every surrounding area. We monitor everything for 12 months: after this time, the coral is
normally already so big and solid that it can survive without our help.
Keeping the nursery in good condition also
means removing parts of the marine fauna that could slow down its growth: organisms such as sponges or algae start to
grow in competition with the corals themselves. Constant maintenance and cleaning of every part of the nursery helps
them to survive.
How is your relationship with the government and the local population?
Tioman is a protected area: we also try to monitor other activities in cooperation with local conservation projects.
For example, we remove abandoned fishing nets or support projects coordinated by the Malaysian government to work
together on this protected area.
With the local community, we teach them from an early age to understand biodiversity
and marine nature. With snorkelling and scuba diving, we show young people how to monitor nurseries and corals, so
that they can understand how important their role is in this game, aimed at repopulating and protecting coral reefs.
And the relationship with tourism?
We also work with tour operators, with hotels and resorts, even with shops that rent equipment: in this way, everyone can understand how to support the maintenance of the marine ecosystem, contributing to the health of the coral reefs, and respecting them even during snorkelling dives. Everyone's interest is steadily growing, giving us much hope!