TAMPA , Florida ( CNN ) -- After witnessing the rapid devastation of a Cayman Island coral reef where he had been diving since childhood , Todd Barber was moved from horror to action . He gave up a six-figure salary as a marketing consultant and dedicated his life to restoring the world 's ocean reef ecosystems . `` I had been following this reef since I had been 14 ; it was where my first dive was , '' recalls Barber . `` When that one little tiny reef was lost , that sparked something in me . If we lost one and it took that tens of thousands of years to get here , how fast is this happening ? '' Barber had caught a small glimpse of a larger global issue -- the destruction of the world 's coral reefs -- and it scared him . According to the Nature Conservancy , if the present rate of destruction continues , 70 percent of the world 's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050 . Not only are they home to 25 percent of all marine fish species , but the organization states that 500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods . So Barber and his father , a marine biologist and fellow diver , sat down to devise a solution to `` put the reef back . '' What started as a basic idea to shape concrete around a beach ball led to three years of research , testing and prototyping with the help of friends and college professors . Watch as Barber explains his passion for saving reefs » . `` Our goal was to mimic nature , not dictate nature , '' says Barber . `` And that meant that I could n't come up with an idea ; I had to design something that would fit exactly what the reef required . '' The result was what Barber calls a `` Reef Ball . '' Made of concrete engineered to last more than 500 years , Reef Balls are circular structures with a hollow center that serve as a base habitat upon which a natural reef can grow . Portable , inexpensive and environmentally friendly , according to Barber , Reef Balls can be built anywhere and are used to mimic and rehabilitate all forms of oceanic reefs , such as mangrove , oyster and coral reefs . They can also help control erosion and stabilize shorelines . Watch as an organization in Tampa tries to restore habitats for oysters » . To manufacture and place Reef Balls in marine habitats around the world , Barber established The Reef Ball Foundation in 1993 . Today , the non-profit organization works with environmental agencies , universities , community groups and corporations and empowers others to build and restore their local marine ecosystems . `` [ Reefs ] have an incredible bearing on human life , '' says Barber . `` Without conserving these resources , they 're going to be all gone before we even know what we 've lost . '' According to Barber , marine conservation is n't just about Reef Balls , but they 're one important tool . `` It 's about saving natural reefs . It 's about changing our behaviors , '' says Barber . `` It 's better to save the reef that you have than to build a new one . '' Since its inception , the Reef Ball Foundation has placed Reef Balls in more than 59 countries . `` For me , personally , the satisfaction comes from diving on a Reef Ball and seeing that the environment has been rehabilitated ; that the reef is actually there , '' says Barber . `` And that our grandkids will be able to see the same thing . '' E-mail to a friend .
Most coral reefs are in danger , according to estimates from the Nature Conservancy . The organization says 500 million people depend on coral reefs for food . Reef ##s are concrete objects upon which a natural reef can grow . The objects also help control coastal erosion and stabilize shorelines .