THE SILENT DEATH OF OUR OCEANS
It's time to get active
THE SILENT DEATH OF OUR OCEANS
It's time to get active
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
The ocean is in trouble. Scientists predict that between 70% to 90% of all coral reefs will disappear by 2050.
The reasons for this are diverse, but the global climate crisis is a major contributor. The crisis is causing coral bleaching, which leads to the death of corals due to the warming of the oceans. It is turning the oceans more acidic, which slows down the skeletal growth of corals.
Runoff from agricultural fertilizers pollutes the ocean, causing algae blooms that suffocate seagrass meadows and coral reefs. Unsustainable fishing practices also threaten all marine life. The ocean absorbs 48% of fossil fuel emissions, another contributor to the crisis. Furthermore, an estimated 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year and, in only a few decades from now, the amount of plastic is expected to outweigh the amount of fish.
“By far the biggest threat to the ocean, and therefore to ourselves, is ignorance. But we can do something about it.”
(Sylvia A. Earle)
THE STORY OF LIVINGSEAS
Leon opened his first dive business Livingseas Asia in 2005 in Singapore, followed by two additional centres in Indonesia in 2012 and 2016. What he and his team witnessed during more than a decade of diving was so alarming it became impossible to just ‘look’ at the underwater world any longer without taking action. In 2015, Livingseas started experimenting with different reef substrate materials. They tested bamboo and concrete,
glass and plastic. The pandemic stopped the tourism flow to Bali but propelled the reef conservation forward. What started as an experiment has grown into one of the biggest coral reef restoration projects in Bali, Indonesia. This ‘little’ side activity in a dive shop has evolved into a charitable organization dedicated not only to rebuilding coral reefs, but to restoring whole coastal and marine ecosystems: Welcome to Livingseas Foundation!
"There are places underwater that used to be full of coral and fish, but now look like a desert devoid of any life. Corals are dead or broken, reduced to rubble on the ocean floor. Hardly a dive goes by where the team doesn’t bring bags of trash back to the beach to be sorted and properly disposed of.
Corals are the basis of life in the ocean. If there are no corals, there are no fish.
It's as simple as that."
- Leon Boey, founder of Livingseas Asia
OCEANS AS BLUE AS THE SKIES.
TEAMING WITH LIFE, NOT PLASTIC WASTE.
Livingseas Foundation is a marine conservation organisation preserving and rebuilding coastal and marine ecosystems by involving local communities to ensure a long-term and sustainable impact.
OUR MISSION
Key to the success of our mission is the close relationship we build with local communities. We actively promote the local youth's understanding of the marine ecosystem and its preservation through active reef restoration.
We create awareness, education options and employment opportunities in the community. The ocean is the livelihood for millions of people – let’s ensure it stays that way for generations to come!
MOVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD
There is a lot of passion behind what we do. We act because we see success and trust that if we act together, we can make a big difference, above and below water.
We believe in life and the importance of the oceans.
We believe that together we can make a difference.
Individually, we are a drop. Together, we are an ocean.
