The Men Behind Coral Reef Conservation in West Sumatra

Name: The Men Behind Coral Reef Conservation in West Sumatra
Uploaded: 2018-02-07T02:32:15Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: The coral bleaching that hit part of the sea in West Sumatra in 2016 made Indrawadi Mantari and Mabruri Tanjung almost hopeless.

The coral bleaching that hit part of the sea in West Sumatra in 2016 made Indrawadi Mantari and Mabruri Tanjung almost hopeless.

Ismail Zakaria

· 6 minutes read

The coral bleaching that hit part of the sea in West Sumatra in 2016 made Indrawadi Mantari, 47, and Mabruri Tanjung, 36, almost hopeless. The coral reefs they had spent years diligently planting were destroyed. Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live inside their tissues, often as a result of global warming. Since 2016, the impact of coral bleaching in West Sumatra and elsewhere is greater than in the preceding years.

Bleaching has been observed in the Pieh Marine Park since 1998. In 2000, starting with the phenomenon of red algae, coral bleaching also occurred in Mentawai Islands and part of Pesisir Selatan regency, West Sumatra.

"In 2016, the temperature of the sea was quite ideal for coral reefs, ranging from 25-28 degrees Celsius. However, at the depth of 25 meters, the temperature reached up to 31 degrees Celsius. Areas previously unaffected, such as Mandeh in Pesisir Selatan, were also hit. The coral reefs we have transplanted there since 2012 have also turned white, then blackened," Indrawadi said recently.

About 30,000 seeds of coral reefs were transplanted by Indrawadi and Mabruri in Mandeh, which is why they were shocked to see the bleaching. "We are psychologically affected and often cry. The bleaching has destroyed coral reefs that we had planted for many years. However, we are aware that the incident was not due to wrong procedures, but a natural phenomenon," said Mabruri.

Now, Indrawadi and Mabruri can only wait for the right moment, when the temperature returns to normal. "The reefs have started to recover," he said. Indrawadi and Mabruri have worked together to transplant coral reefs in West Sumatra since 2012. The activity was carried out with their own funds and with financial aid from other sides, such as the government. Hundreds of thousands of coral reef seeds were transplanted.

The two met because they both love diving and would often carry out diving activities organized by their alma mater, the University of Bung Hatta (UBH), Padang. Indrawadi, who comes from Baso, Agam district, began diving in 1992 when he was a student at the Fishery Resource Utilization Department of UBH. Today, he is the head of public relations at UBH and involved in various diving activities, especially underwater research.

In 1994, together with his friends, Indrawadi initiated the establishment of the Bung Hatta Diving Club, which was later renamed to the Student Activity Unit (UKM) Diving Club of Bung Hatta University. In 2002, Mabruri joined the club and met Indrawadi, the diving coach.

"After being employed by UBH in 2000, I stopped diving. Nevertheless, I am still active in the UKM Diving Club," said Indrawadi, who got his diving license in 1996.

Meanwhile, Mabruri was granted a diving license in 2004, while he was a student at the Law Department of UBH. After a long break, Indrawadi, picked up his diving tube again in 2012 to begin transplanting coral reefs in Mandeh, together with Mabruri.

"That year, there was an environmental program from the government with a focus on underwater ecosystems. The program encouraged the involvement of the community. We were asked to become facilitators," said Mabruri. They were involved in the entire transplantation process, from preparing the concepts and providing seedlings and equipment, such as substrates and underwater nursery shelves, to planting.

They involved the community, including young people, who got additional income for their participation in the project. Their sense of belonging was high, as they were actively involved in overseeing and preserving the coral reefs.

The young people were also actively involved in marine tourism activities in Mandeh as one of the tourist attractions developed by Pesisir Selatan regency and the West Sumatra provincial government. "The young people have become guides. Some are studying at UBH to strengthen their capacity, "said Indrawadi.

Expansion

From Mandeh, Indrawadi and Mabruri expended their coral reef transplantation to other areas, such as West Pasaman, Agam, Padang Pariaman and Pariaman. They did not stop at planting the corals, but also took charge of their upkeep and monitored their development. The upkeep, according to Mabruri, entailed cleaning the sediments and replacing dead seeds.

"Usually, in a block containing 500 seeds, there are about 10 seeds that die. In Mandeh, however, from the first planting to the bleaching event, all grew 100 percent because of the good treatment," said Mabruri.

Although the initial transplanting activities were carried out under a government program, the monitoring was done voluntarily. "There is monitoring by the government, but not regularly due to financing problems. We took the initiative to conduct monitoring with our own funds.

“As the people who planted the coral reef, we want to see them grow, of course," said Mabruri. They often spent their own money to carry out monitoring. Government assistance was mostly limited to transportation facilities and food.

Initially, they borrowed the equipment from various agencies, such as the Pesisir Selatan Marine and Fisheries Office, the Balusangkar Heritage Conserving Center, the Turtle Technical Training Unit in Pariaman, the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center of Padang, the Navy Base II Padang, and the Padang SAR Agency.

If they got honorariums for the activities, they would save them to buy equipment like tubes and regulators. In fact, Mabruri borrowed money from the bank to buy a diving compressor. Not long ago, he founded the Minangkabau Diving Club.

In addition, Indrawadi and Mabruri, who are now completing their postgraduate study at the Fisheries and Marine Resources Management Department of UBH, also trained new divers from West Sumatra.

"We want regeneration. Moreover, many diving locations in West Sumatra are interesting and meet the sales standards and can produce economic value," said Mabruri, who has been a diving instructor since 2016.

When giving teaching, Indrawadi usually focuses on the academic side of the marine ecosystem, while Mabruri focuses more on technical aspects of diving. "Our hope that, whoever takes part, will not only be able to dive but will also become an ambassador for the preservation of underwater ecosystems in West Sumatra," said Mabruri.