MSC Cruises’ Foundation Calls for Support to Help Save Coral Reefs

MSC Foundation, the non-profit run by the MSC Group, is kicking off a new campaign aimed at raising awareness to help protect and preserve coral reefs. And it’s doing so with some big partners.

The campaign, called #SuperCoralPlay, was announced on Thursday at a press conference in Miami. The drive behind it is to help protect coral reefs, which, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are in serious danger (70-90% of coral reefs are in danger of dying out within the next two decades, 2030-2050).

“If we act now, we still have a chance to help the reefs and the marine life and the benefits they offer to communities. We need to contain ocean warming with more done to reduce emissions and we need to experiment and invest in research and development of Super Coral as well as advanced applied science to help regenerate resilient reefs, which is work MSC Foundation is developing in coordination with key international and local partners at Ocean Cay,” Matthew McKinnon, chair of MSC Foundation’s advisory board said. 

The project is the result of a partnership between MSC; the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee (MSCBHC), which is hosting this year’s Super Bowl; and 54 NFL players and influencers, including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, and broadcaster and retired NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, all three of whom were on hand to help launch the campaign.

Part of the campaign is ongoing at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, MSC’s new private island that includes a coral community created in collaboration with scientists and environmental experts. Another part is a new website, SuperCoralPlay.org, which includes a campaign to raise awareness of the issue and collect donations to help protect coral.

Still another part is more partnerships — these between MSC and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM), Nova Southeastern University (NSU), the Perry Institute for Marine Science, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and The Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM) — that will help drive research at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.

There are a number of ways individuals can get involved. For one, on social media, they can make their own “play,” a pledge to help reduce environmental impact and carbon footprint, via a video or messages with the hashtag #SuperCoralPLay.

MSC will have an installation at the Environmental Village in Miami during Super Bowl week from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1. It is also offering a special edition Super Coral Play bracelet, made of abandoned fishing nets, on the campaign’s website.