Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of nature's most magnificent creations, a living cathedral stretching for over 2,400 kilometres and home to a breathtaking biodiversity, is in grave danger due to climate change. According to researchers, coral reefs will be the first ecosystems to reach ecological extinction in the modern era, and in less than thirty years nothing will remain of Australia's Great Barrier Reef but banks of crumbled debris.

A reef worth saving

In an effort to avert this environmental catastrophe, several initiatives are under way. In 2015, the Australian government began trialling a new technique to help coral reefs cope with the constant rise in ocean temperatures by genetically modifying the coral species that make them up. Last January the government decided to allocate almost 60 million Australian dollars to protect it. Tiffany, the well-known American company specialising in high-end jewellery, is also contributing to the conservation of this jewel of nature.

The mission of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation

The Tiffany & Co. Foundation has announced a donation of approximately 1.4 million Australian dollars (equivalent to roughly one million US dollars) to protect and restore Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The jewellery brand established the Tiffany & Co. Foundation in 2000 to support organisations committed to defending natural resources and non-profit bodies dedicated to promoting responsible mining practices and protecting coral and marine resources. Tiffany stopped using coral in its jewellery in 2004, precisely because of the severe conservation status of corals. The foundation has also called on the United States government to oppose the construction of gold mines that would threaten Yellowstone National Park and Bristol Bay, Alaska.

How to save the coral reef

To halt the decline of the world's largest living organism, which covers an area roughly the size of Italy, Tiffany has decided to fund a range of projects, both short- and long-term, developed by the organisations Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Greening Australia. "We believe there is reason for hope," said Anisa Kamadoli Costa, president of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation. "The Foundation is proud to support two of the leading organisations working to preserve the Great Barrier Reef, one of the most important natural assets on our planet. Together we can find new solutions to preserve this precious ecosystem for generations to come."

In search of ideas to help corals

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has just launched the Out of the Blue Box Innovation Challenge, a competition aimed at seeking new ideas from around the world to protect Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The challenge is open to innovative projects in the fields of finance, technology and social sciences. The winning project, selected by a panel of experts from various sectors, will receive a prize of approximately 225,000 US dollars. The application period closes on 3 September and the winner will be announced at the end of October.

Cleaner water for healthier corals

While the Great Barrier Reef Foundation aims to find long-term solutions, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation also supports immediate and tangible conservation efforts, funding for example Reef Aid. This is a Greening Australia project established with the aim of improving water quality by restoring catchments and wetlands near the reef, halting coastal erosion and thereby significantly reducing the quantity of sediment in ocean waters.