Channelling thirty years of dedication to nature, DoDo reaffirms its unwavering commitment to environmental preservation. For the fourth consecutive year, DoDo embarks on a new mission, collaborating with the French social enterprise, Tēnaka, to defend our precious marine ecosystems.
Rewind to the Beginning: In the past four years, DoDo and Tēnaka have rejuvenated 2.5 hectares of marine habitat, critical for biodiversity, climate stability, and human wellbeing. Situated in the heart of the Coral Triangle—the epicentre of marine biodiversity—the DoDo Coral Nurseries have fostered the protection of over 3,000 species and eradicated over 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2024, this dynamic partnership aims to revive an additional 500 square meters of degraded reef, home to more than 50 coral species.
Restoration efforts launched in 2020 and 2022 have restored a combined area of 2,000 square meters, aiding the resurgence of species such as the blacktip reef shark, the parrotfish, and the giant clam. The initiative is set to advance with AI development, employing continuous-shooting cameras to aid biologists’ work. Set for trials this late summer in Tioman, these technological advancements promise to unveil fascinating new dimensions.
A tangible testament to Tēnaka’s vision, the ambitious Anne-Sophie Roux spearheaded the project. Her relentless passion recently earned her the role of Counsellor for various environmental treaties and the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in 2025, co-organized by France and Costa Rica.
“We are honoured to be early supporters of Anne-Sophie and Tēnaka,” states Sabina Belli, CEO of DoDo. “The impressive results we have achieved reassure us that the Tioman Coral Reef Restoration project can serve as an exemplar for many other virtuous initiatives. From its inception, DoDo has pioneered collections with nature-centric messages, backing numerous initiatives in Italy and worldwide.”
Talking to Alvin Chelliah: a marine biologist born in Malaysia and now based in Tioman, taking an in-depth look at what the social enterprise Tēnaka actually does
How do you carry out your work?
We are constantly monitoring the coasts and coral reefs, gathering loads of data. Not only on how the coral is developing, but also on the marine life of this splendid location, to help us understand how our work helps the repopulation of so many species of fish, turtles and sharks. Our aim is to improve all the local marine biodiversity.
How is the DoDo Coral Nursery important?
Rehabilitating the coral is fundamental. We do all we can to replant it where it has been damaged in the past, trying to get it to take root quickly, and we also help coral that is still alive but deteriorated. We build structures for the latter and clear all the area surrounding more badly harmed coral. We monitor everything for 12 months: after this, the coral is normally already big and solid enough to survive without our help.
Keeping the nursery in good condition also means eliminating parts of marine fauna that could delay its growth: organisms like sponges or algae start to grow in competition with the coral itself. Constant maintenance and cleaning every part of the nursery helps it to survive.
What links do you have with the government and the locals?
Tioman is a protected area: we try to also monitor other activity in collaboration with local protection projects. For example by removing abandoned fishing nets or helping projects coordinated by the Malaysian Government, in order to work together in this protected area.
In the local community we teach kids from an early age to understand biodiversity and marine nature. With snorkelling and scuba diving we show these youngsters how to monitor the nurseries and the coral, so that they can understand how important their role is in this battle to repopulate and protect the coral reefs.
And your relationship with tourism?
We also work with tour operators, hotels and resorts, even with the shops that rent out the equipment: in this way everyone understands how to support maintenance of the marine ecosystem, contributing to the health of the coral reefs, and also respecting it while snorkelling. Everyone’s interest is constantly growing, we are really hopeful!
A special collection: the new Dodo for Tēnaka bracelet
To celebrate this partnership, DoDo has launched a ringlets bracelet in the colours sea green and coral: with plastic elements made from 100% recyclable PET bottles, embellished with new silver ringlets. Four cubic elements in sterling silver bear symbols dedicated to this new collaboration: the DoDo and Tēnaka logos, a heart, a fun smile and the letters SEA to immediately remind us just how important aquatic biodiversity on our Earth is.
www.dodo.it
www.instagram.com/DodoJewels
