Hapsoro Jakarta Globe 22 Apr 10;
It is said that Indonesia is a maritime country, but most Indonesians do not know about their marine environment. The sea is only seen as a passage between islands, without realizing that beneath the vast stretches of water lies a rich biodiversity that is as rich, if not richer, than that on land.
In 1999, the government established the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, now the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, to watch over Indonesia’s various sea-related business. But it is not easy to mainstream maritime issues with people in this archipelagic country. Few people understand maritime issues, while government programs are still mostly land-oriented.
Although Indonesia initiated the international Coral Triangle Initiative and hosted the World Ocean Conference last year in Manado, knowledge about coral reefs and their preservation is still not significant enough.
On Thursday, a number of nongovernmental organizations, funding agencies, community groups and private companies invited people to use Earth Day to take another look at Indonesia’s seas — with coral reefs, as one of the most important links in the marine ecosystem, being given the main focus. This day, or as we call it: “Coral Day,” is when we can all contribute to the protection and preservation of coral reefs.
The objective of Coral Day is simple: to encourage the public to act now, without waiting for a program or institution to initiate efforts. Everyone can contribute according to his or her own strengths.
It is a sad fact that coral reefs are the most vulnerable environment to temperature increases brought on by global warming. Based on observations by Reef Check Indonesia in 2005, coral in the sea near Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport experienced extensive bleaching. In June 2009, along Bali’s north coast, from Pemuteran to Amed, Reef Check found coral bleaching of up to 4 percent, caused directly by an increase in the temperature of the water in the area.
Corals are living organisms that live symbiotically with networks of single-celled algae to form beautiful coral reefs. The algae produce the food for the corals, and the corals in turn give the algae a place to live. Environmental pressures, such as pollution or increases in water temperature, can cause the algae to die, which then causes the coral network to perish and eventually lose its color, thus it is called bleaching.
Preliminary evaluations by experts at last year’s Global Biodiversity Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, showed a hectare of coral reef could generate between $130,000 and $1.2 million annually. The fascinating beauty of the coral reefs is what attracts thousands of tourists every year to Bali, Wakatobi, Raja Ampat and many other dive spots across the country.
But why do average people need to worry about coral reefs that live hidden beneath the waves? Aside from preventing coastal abrasion, coral reefs are home to most of the sea creatures that we consume. As our coral reefs begin to disappear, so will our sources of food from the sea.
Before the late 1980s, Serangan, an island village not far from Kuta, attracted many tourists because of its rich coral reef and resident turtle population. The relatively untouched coral and sea grass was a paradise for innumerable species of fish. But then a large-scale reclamation project, intended to save the island from coastal abrasion, ironically ended the area’s marine utopia. The project damaged the delicate coral that supported the island’s fishermen and drastically changed the underwater landscape.
Fish catches in Serangan diminished and turtles, the star attraction of the island, left the area. In facing the man-made “disaster,” fishermen did not just accept their fate. Along with a number of nongovernmental organizations and the government, 36 people calling themselves the Karya Segara Fishermen’s Group took the initiative to restore their village. Today, it has developed into one of the most active groups working to restore coral reefs and distribute income to local fishermen by cultivating coral. Their success has also been followed by other fishermen who now see the changes it has brought, including the return of the fish in their area.
Coral Day invites the public to care, get involved and contribute. Caring doesn’t mean that everyone has to plant coral, but just know enough to care that every coral counts. If we throw away rubbish carelessly or pollute the sea, this can threaten the existence of the coral reefs. One coral may die today, but before we realize it, a whole area such as Serangan may lose its source of income.
Hapsoro is program director of Telapak, a community-based group of environmental activists.
Earth Day a Time of Reckoning for Green Activists
Fidelis E Satriastanti & Made Arya Kencana, Jakarta Globe 23 Apr 10;
To mark Earth Day on Thursday, activists in Jakarta urged the government to start taking saving the environment seriously, while those in Bali declared it Coral Day.
“Indonesia has too much to carry on its shoulders now, economic and social burdens, ecological burdens, disasters everywhere, too much debt and lots of environmental issues,” Teguh Surya, head of advocacy at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said on a talk show dedicated to Earth Day.
“With the Earth Day momentum, it’s more than appropriate to mark it by seeing how far we have damaged our ecology.”
On climate change, Teguh said the government had been focusing on preventing more damage caused by global warming but ignored the need for local people to survive and adapt to global warming.
“Most areas prone to climate change are coastal areas and small islands, but our government’s policies have been focusing only on the forestry sector,” Teguh said.
Nadia Hadad, project coordinator at the Bank Information Center, said all climate change funding had focused on mitigation efforts.
“As a developing country, Indonesia needs to adapt, but this issue has never fully been taken into consideration by developed countries because it has no close connection or effect on them,” Nadia said.
Zenzi Suhadi, executive director of the Walhi branch in Bengkulu, said people there did not need more money and wanted the government to stop investment.
“These people are very frustrated now seeing how mining and palm oil plantations have stolen their income and livelihood. They just want it stopped,” said Zenzi.
The province once relied on fisheries but now mining and plantations have taken over, meaning people had not choice but to encroach on forests or even send children out to sea to catch fish.
Meanwhile, on Serangan Island off Bali, locals celebrated Earth Day by inaugurating Coral Day, which was envisioned by green groups including Telapak and Kehati (the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation).
“We hope this movement raises people’s awareness of the importance of coral, especially in tackling climate change,” Telapak activist Ery Damayanti said.
The observance includes a coral adoption program, where tourists can pay an individual or institution to plant coral on their behalf and get a certificate and regular reports on its progress. The donations would range from Rp 180,000 to Rp 5 million ($20 to ($555).
“The money will be used for coral treatment, seed supplies and other things,” Ery said.
Serangan Island had been chosen because of its strategic place to show the world that Indonesia was taking aggressive action to save corals.
