You helped us help the ocean!

To celebrate the Minecraft Update Aquatic (Phase One out now in several editions of the game, and in pre-release on Java), we've been working with several partners to help the real-world oceans, through Coral Crafters – our project to help coral reefs!

We teamed up with Rabahrex, Logdotzip and Stacyplays. They worked with their fans to design unique structures that help restore coral reefs in our oceans.

But why does this matter? And more importantly, how does it help the oceans? This video explains it better than I ever could! (which is worrying, as it's my job to explain things...)

Watch the video to see how we're helping restore coral reefs!

How does this help the real oceans? Well, with the Update Aquatic, we’re filling Minecraft's oceans to the brim with kelp forest, shipwrecks, deep sea trenches, fish, turtles, dolphins and colourful coral reefs.

In the real world, however, it’s the opposite: climate change, destructive fishing methods and pollution of the water are killing off our planet’s amazing marine life. Coral reefs, one of the Earth’s most precious natural wonders, are under threat.

Coral reefs are home to some two million species - roughly a quarter of all marine life. We’re only just unlocking the secrets of these amazing organisms, and yet the World Wildlife Fund estimates that nearly a third of coral reefs worldwide are already damaged beyond repair. If trends continue, we will soon lose 60% of the world’s coral in the next few decades.

Which is why we asked for your help – both with voting for the structures we're placing underwater, buying this Aquatic Skin pack with proceeds going to The Nature Conservancy, and our recent coral-placing challenge!

Earlier this month, we challenged YOU, our beloved players, to place ten million coral blocks underwater. If you managed to do it, we'd donate one hundred thousand dollars to The Nature Conservancy to help them with their amazing work helping the oceans!

Did you pull it off? Pfft, you need to ask? Just a few days later you'd smashed that coral-placing target and we donated one hundred thousand dollars to The Nature Conservancy! You can read more about the amazing work they do to help the oceans here.

We’ll bring you updates on the status of the project throughout the next few years, so you can see how our coral crafting is coming along!