Mars Coral Reef
Restoration

In 2023, a highly successful partnership was formed between Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS) and Kenyan based NGO, The Ocean Trust (TOT). That year, their restoration mission saw The Ocean Trust and Mars deploying the first Reef Stars in Kenya during a pilot build, which proved extremely successful. Following this, the team had the opportunity to review the 1-year-old pilot restoration sites and were encouraged to see high survivorship across all sites. Building on this success, the team installed a further 70 Reef Stars, out planting +1000 coral fragments, bringing the total restoration footprint to over 200 Reef Stars. 

Since implementing the MARRS approach across the Lamu Archipelago, the team became focused on expanding their restoration efforts via the formation of a new MPA and alongside the expansion of the Reef Star restoration area at Iwani, The Ocean Trust team worked to establish a community-led marine protected area (MPA) which covers the restoration site and connected reef system, covering a total area of ~100 hectares. The team put great efforts into identifying crucial reef restoration sites, with the ultimate goal of restoring the entire reef system—a significant milestone for coral reefs in Kenya.