Key facts
For years, Only One members have been funding coral planting across French Polynesia through Coral Gardeners; now, members are supporting the growth of 8,000 corals for a brand-new restoration branch in Thailand.
This project is restoring climate- and dynamite-damaged reefs with diversified coral species, boosting marine biodiversity, supporting communities, and experimenting with new propagation methods.
The new branch in Thailand is Coral Gardeners’ third global outpost and the first outside of Polynesia, headquartered across the neighboring islands of Koh Mak and Koh Mood.
Our coral planting partner is the brainchild of Titouan Bernicot, an !
How the project works
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Coral Gardeners employees find and collect coral fragments from nearby healthy reefs, or “mother” colonies, gathering broken-off bits from the seafloor or snipping pieces off like you would in your home garden.
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The fragments are relocated and secured to nursery ropes across any of nine nurseries to grow in calm waters. Most are underwater, alongside Coral Gardener’s first land-based nursery.
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To monitor restoration progress, team members use the Reef App — tracking real-time health updates via waterproofed iPhones!
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Once the corals reach a mature size (about the width of a hand), they are carefully transplanted onto degraded reef sites, helping to restore structure, biodiversity, and ecological function in a region recently devastated by mass bleaching.
Project impact
All projects on Only One help save the ocean and the planet, with 100% of our members’ funds going directly to impact. Keep reading to learn how our project, “Kickstarting coral regeneration in Thailand,” is making a positive difference.
Biodiversity and ecosystems
Though coral reefs cover only 0.0025% of Earth’s surface, they’re among the most biologically diverse and valuable ecosystems on our blue planet. As much as 25% of all marine life, including over 4,000 species of fish, is dependent on coral reefs at some point during their life cycle. Marine species take shelter, eat, and reproduce in the many alcoves formed by corals.
In May 2024, the Gulf of Thailand experienced a severe coral bleaching event, affecting approximately 90% of its corals. This crisis, part of a global bleaching phenomenon impacting 84% of the world’s reefs, has been amplified by rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution, and destructive fishing practices. Thailand's coral reefs — spanning around 38,000 acres — are facing challenges of unprecedented scale in recent history. So this project’s restoration work is essential to country-wide efforts to fortify and revitalize coastal habitats.
Protected species
Thailand’s coral ecosystems sustain species as varied as the critically endangered green sea turtle and the vulnerable banded eagle ray, a blue-and-yellow striped fish no bigger than a squirrel. On the other side of the scale, the bus-sized whale shark, the largest of all the world’s fish, is known to filter feed on the same plankton blooms that nourish coral colonies.
Coral species
As the most biodiverse restoration site, this project’s 46 species of corals are distinct from those restored across Coral Gardeners’ other locations in French Polynesia and Fiji, allowing gardeners to experiment with novel methods to propagate Thai reefs. These species, which grow more slowly and are therefore more vulnerable, need a different approach, better suited to a controlled environment like a land-based coral farm.
Land-based cultivation allows for greater control, opening the door to a process known as microfragmentation that would be impossible in the tumult of the tides. By cutting corals into tiny 1 cm² fragments, Coral Gardeners accelerate growth up to 20 times faster than in nature. As these microfragments grow and fuse together, they develop into mature colonies in just a few years rather than decades. But this technique only works in a protected setting, since such small fragments wouldn’t survive long in the open ocean.
These species include the bubble coral, so named because of its grape-sized polyps that bunch like the bubbly suds of a sponge; the many-armed octopus coral (Galaxea fascicularis); the blossoming daisy coral; and the moon coral — in all its cratered glory.
Community development
The Coral Gardeners Thailand team employs nine Thai staff members in the heart of a fishing village, mentored by experienced restorers in diving and coral planting techniques used at the flagship sites in French Polynesia. The team also leads public education initiatives across the community and beyond, including the Coral & Friends art awareness program, which has reached 186 people across six sessions in 2025, representing over 20 countries. They also host in-the-field workshops with local universities and government groups like the Department of Marine & Coastal Resources.
Unlike in Fiji or French Polynesia, swimming isn't as common in Thai culture, so the coral farm functions as an inclusive access point, allowing restoration staff to share the work with people who either can’t or prefer not to be in the water.
Project leaders
Coral Gardeners Thailand is led by a team of six experienced restoration professionals. Board chair Yodchai Sudhidhanakul helms the project, supported by Head Coral Scientist Khun Nan, Restoration Manager Khun Jane, Land-Based Nursery Manager Leo Vargas, and International Expansion Manager Chris Koerber and Field Specialist Tatyana Barnes.
Each of the two branches is powered by three gardeners. Khun Yod leads the Koh Mak site, supported by Khun Mon and Khun Chopper, while Khun Direk leads the Koh Kood site, supported by Khun Ko and Khun Ben.
Sustainable Development Goals
By supporting the “Kickstarting coral growth in Thailand” project, funds from Only One members contribute to advancing these three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Project reporting
Coral Gardeners will send Only One a quarterly report on the progress of the coral planting project, detailing the total number of corals planted, their health status, and ongoing maintenance work and growth updates.
More about our coral restoration partner
Coral Gardeners was born in 2017 on the island of Mo'orea in French Polynesia, when a small group of island kids who were witnessing the rapid degradation of the coral reef around them decided to take action. From humble beginnings, Coral Gardeners has grown into an international collective of advocates, scientists, engineers, and creators determined to build a global movement to save the reef. Their team grows and plants “super corals” using the latest techniques, pushing the boundaries of technology in ocean conservation, and they scale their impact globally so everyone can join their mission.
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