June 8, 2023 (DALLAS, TX) – Mary Kay is celebrating Ocean’s Week by reaffirming its decades-long partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to support ocean conservation and coral reef protection. Coral reefs, often referred to as the rainforests of the sea, cover less than 1% of the world’s surface area but support 25% of all marine life and over one billion people.
Because traditional reef conservation strategies have not been enough to counter the global loss of coral reefs, Mary Kay, a signatory to the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles, is supporting experts from TNC, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and Stanford University as they lead a collaborative effort to discover the secrets of “super reefs” – a diverse coral community within a reef system that is more resistant or resilient to damaging heatwaves – in efforts to predict, prove, and protect critical coral reefs.
Mary Kay’s continued support of TNC’s Global Oceans and Super Reefs programs allows researchers to assess reef health, identify potential super reef locations, and discuss opportunities to improve reef management locally. This information will help guide conservation and restoration efforts. Current areas of interest for super reefs work include Hawaii, Palau, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Belize.
(Credit: © Kip Evans/CCC Marketing)
(Credit: © Enric Sala/National Geographic Pristine)
“Like all rivers and tributaries, most good things in our world lead back to oceans. Mary Kay is working with partners like The Nature Conservancy to protect Earth’s most valuable resources. Clean, healthy water isn’t just essential to our business—it’s essential for life everywhere.”
Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operations Officer at Mary Kay Inc.
This year, Mary Kay will also continue its support of the Coastal Wetlands in Texas, the beauty brand’s home state. In 2023, TNC will continue working toward its three-year project objectives:
- identify priority wetland areas for protection and restoration across more than 27,000 kilometers of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico,
- produce a Coastal Conservation and Restoration Action Plan for Texas’ three blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves, salt marsh, and seagrass—including mapping areas where we expect wetlands will migrate in the future due to climate change,
- assess the feasibility of blue carbon markets to support long-term wetland management needs in Texas, and
- identify a dynamic coastal wetland site that can be established as a “living laboratory” to share conservation techniques, explore blue carbon offsets, and highlight the importance of these critical ecosystems.
“TNC is committed to conserving 4 billion hectares of the ocean by 2030, and we are grateful for support from Mary Kay to help achieve this critical goal. Strong partnerships with governments, non-profits, companies, and local communities are essential to our success.”
Dr. Lizzie Mcleod, TNC’s Global Oceans Director
In 1990, Mary Kay and TNC announced their partnership. Mary Kay’s conservation efforts started off close to home, focusing on protecting and preserving the natural resources of Texas. Over the last 33 years, Mary Kay’s support has grown to hundreds of projects in partnership with TNC including ocean work and coral reef restoration around the globe. Through its partnership with TNC, Mary Kay has also elevated women’s leadership in marine conservation to sustain programs that build gender equity into conservation efforts.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 76 countries and territories—37 by direct conservation impact and 39 through partners—we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.