A community-based coral rehabilitation program developed by fishermen on Serangan island has attracted more tourists to Serangan to adopt coral. It has also boosted the economy of people living in the area.
The head of Karya Segara Serangan fishermen’s group, Wayan Patut, said that the coral adoption program had drawn a positive response from tourists, especially from Asian countries. Indonesians from institutions or schools have also adopted coral.
Since the program launched in 2003, we have had 800 coral adopters. They are both individual adopters and groups, Patut said recently.
Marine life on the small Serangan island has degraded since the massive reclamation project implemented by Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID) in the 1990s. The reclamation saw the island grow to three times its original size, inflicting irreversible changes on the ocean’s currents and underwater ecosystems around the island’s shores.
BTID planned to build a megaresort on the island, promising that it would bring a better life to local fishermen. But the global economic crisis and the lack of interested investors threw the BTID plan into prolonged uncertainty. At present, there are no luxurious hotels or upscale eateries on the island. But the environmental damage caused by the plan remains visible.
Patut, a local Serangan fisherman, initiated a coral transplantation program in 2003, which aims to rehabilitate the island’s underwater ecosystem, as well as provide an alternative source of income for local fishermen. The rehabilitation program utilizes artificial structures as the platform for the transplanted coral.
The program, involving around 38 fishermen, has also been utilized to boost the economic condition of the local people. A coral adoption package is offered for tourists for a minimum Rp 150,000 (US$13) per coral fragment.
Through the tourism package program, we could also get other benefits, such as renting boats and other equipment, said Patut, who was chosen as one of the Ashoka Indonesian fellows some years ago. Patut was also given the Kalpataru Award by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for what he was doing.
The rehabilitated area has now reached three hectares. We continue to develop the program, as it is not only rehabilitating nature, but also benefiting people, he added.
Through the program, the fishermen’s group also develops a beautiful underwater view with various structures, including one formed as a candi bentar (Balinese split gate). We are eager to make Serangan become an underwater tourism destination like Bunaken, he said.
The group also provide coral fragments and structures for those who wanted to develop similar programs in other areas.
We also offer education and training programs for those who want to know more about coral transplantation, Patut said.
2012 PT. Bina Media Tenggara