A first-of-its-kind conservation program in Antigua and Barbuda is working to accelerate the pace of restoration.

It can take up to one decade to restore just 1 hectare (2.6 acres) of coral. The Ocean-Shot program, created by marine scientist Deborah Brosnan, hopes to speed up the process with a three-pronged approach — a “Living Lab” for testing new growing technology, newly-designed reef structures that mimic the area’s natural reefs, and a coral nursery to incubate baby corals before introduction to the artificial reef.

The reef structures are modular and will be built with numerous chambers for corals and other organisms to engage in natural reef behavior, such as growing, feeding, taking shelter and reproducing. As corals grow in the nursery, they will be outplanted on the structures by the project’s local personnel.

“Humans have mapped the human genome, landed astronauts on the moon, and, in less than a year, developed a viable vaccine for [a] humanity-threatening virus,” Brosnan says in a recent press release. “It is time to focus the same attention on our oceans with bold, ambitious, and achievable initiatives. Ocean-Shot is pushing the envelope on tech in a way that’s never been done before. This is going to be the hub of coral testing innovation in the Caribbean.”

The Ocean-Shot team aims for the project to become a transferrable, scalable program that can be deployed in other island nations in need of coral restoration.

Bronson’s environmental consulting firm, Deborah Brosnan & Associates, is working on the project in partnership with philanthropist John Paul DeJoria, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, PADI, and the local island community. Bronson and her team developed the program over nine months. This analysis included environmental assessments and identifying what elements they believe to be central to a successful coral restoration initiative: personnel, equipment, travel, reef and nursery construction and installation.

“We have the responsibility to make the world a better place for our having been here,” says project investor John Paul DeJoria, billionaire co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair products. “I am committed to furthering new and advanced environmental conservation efforts, and am proud to partner with Dr. Brosnan on this innovative and impactful initiative."