The actress who plays the voice of Disney's Moana teamed up with Sheba and Kuleana Coral Reefs to create a short video series to raise awareness of coral reef restoration.
According to People, the film series "Growing Hope in Hawaiʻi" focuses on restoring reefs for Coral Reef Awareness Week, which took place July 15-21.
Auliʻi Cravalho takes viewers on a tour of her home and shows them why reefs are vital to Hawaiian culture and why preserving them is crucial for the ecosystem and the future of fish in the ocean.
Cravalho spoke to Green Matters in 2023 and said she chose to protect reefs as part of her environmentalism because her family heritage dates back to the kings and queens of Hawaiʻi.
According to the U.N. Environmental Programme, coral reefs are dying out because of rising temperatures, pollution, unstable coastal development, and declining water quality. Coral reefs play a vital role in communities by protecting shores from storms and providing medicine.
As Cravalho said, they are also important to Hawaiian culture. Coral Reef Alliance explains that coral reefs are essential for many local traditions, leisure activities, ceremonies, and food. The reefs also contribute $800 million to the economy yearly, and the protection they provide is worth an estimated $836 million per year.
"On Hawaiʻi Island, sewage pollution has been identified as the biggest contributor to declining fish biomass and has been specifically linked to coral disease and bleaching, as well as human health issues," according to Coral Reef Alliance.
Cravalho told People: "Coral is a foundational species. It is something that helps all ecosystems, helps fish, helps crabs, then into the larger marine life as well."
The video series aims to gain awareness and support, but Sheba and its partners have done more than that. The Sheba Hope Grows program has used reef stars to regrow "1.2 million square feet of coral reefs worldwide." Its partnership with Kuleana Coral Reefs plans to plant them in Hawaiʻi. According to the second video in the series, these stars can help grow back coral reefs in four years.
Cravalho also partnered with Sheba and Kuleana Coral Reefs in 2023 for Coral Reef Awareness Week, where she posted a video on social media about using sunscreen that was safe for coral reefs.
Many reef restoration projects exist, such as the project in Tiaia in Mo'orea, where before and after photos show the progress made.
Donating to climate causes like these is vital to help the important work they do to restore reefs worldwide.
Sheba has made a lot of progress since 2021 with its partner, Hope Reef. According to Sheba's website: "Since work began at Hope Reef, coral growth has increased from 2% to 70%, fish populations have increased by 260%, and there's been a 64% rise in the number of fish species."
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