Buleleng Northern Lights

Pemuteran Artificial Reef Project (I)

Editor’s Foreword
Following is a press release by ‘Pemuteran’s Project of Artificial Reef for Eternal Coral Reef of Pemuteran’.

The world’s largest archipelago nation, with 17,502 islands, Indonesia is an important habitat and eco-balance center for marine life, including corals. Indonesia possesses the richest assortment of coral species in the world (450 species) from fringe and barrier reefs to atolls and patch reefs. Estimates are that Indonesia’s reefs cover 85,700 sq km, constituting 14 percent of the world’s coral reefs.
However, today, only 6 percent of these reefs are in healthy condition. Destruction has come from human activities, such as dynamite and cyanide fishing, pollution, global warming, increased turbidity, over-exploitation and environmentally unfriendly tourism.
Immediate economic gains do not offset the loss and destruction of reefs. Damaged coral reefs take years to recover naturally. Protected artificial reef regeneration speeds nature’s process in restoring coral growth and in even shorter order, providing a protected environment for fish regeneration. The Pemuteran Karang Lestari Coral Conservation project, off West Bali National Park, is Indonesia’s first step in the right direction.

Sustainable eco-tourism
Sustainable eco-tourism requires protection of natural beauty. Yet, conservation often conflicts with traditional resource users. For example, fish are more valuable when divers and snorkelers, versus their value as a single meal, can view them repeatedly.
Pemuteran lies in the shadow of mountains to the south and to the north is Menjangen Island, famous for diving and nature treks. Pemuteran receives less rainfall than other island areas during rainy season and is too dry for rice cultivation. Its people traditionally live from the sea.
Pemuteran has the largest area of shallow coral reefs in Bali that are easily accessible, because the area is calm and free of strong currents and waves which affect most other parts of the island.
The spectacular coral reef growth near land made for a diving and snorkeling paradise. Because the area is furthest from the island’s main tourism centers to the south, it was quiet and unspoiled. Hotels and dive shops were pioneered by Mr. Agung Prana and Mr. Chris Brown, respectively, who worked closely with the village to protect the area.
Pemuteran community declared that the reefs in front of the beach where most hotels are located, as protected no-fishing zones, for eco-tourism use only. Local fishermen banned bomb and cyanide reef fishing in Pemuteran Bay to preserve what was left of their resources. Through such conservation efforts, the healthy Pemuteran bank reefs drew increasing numbers of divers and snorkelers to view the coral gardens.
As a result of this protection, many other hotels and dive shops followed, making tourism earnings a major contributor to the local economy, in a region which previously had few cash-earning jobs-in one of Bali’s economically poorest areas. The community quickly grasped the meaning of eco-tourism income, which had positive effects on lifestyle and health for local villagers.
To ensure conservation efforts continued, strong education, protection and regeneration programs were put into place, to sustain and grow tourism, with income flow directly to the villagers. And then the economic crisis befell Indonesia. Vigilance in enforcing fishing bans lapsed during the economic catastrophe of 1998.
Pemuteran’s large sheltered bay, once surrounded by reefs teeming with fish was targeted by migration of whole communities of fishermen from neighboring Java and Madura islands, where their own fisheries had been wiped out by destructive over-exploitation. They brought their destructive bomb and cyanide fishing techniques, steadily destroying almost all of Pemuteran’s reefs. The bank reefs, once full of coral thickets and fish swarms, became piles of broken rubble, barren of fish.
By the time the bombing and cyanide ban was reinstituted, the damage was done. Local fishermen now recognize the industry will not recover until the coral reef habitat can be restored. (To be continued, next issue)