Bali Reef Regeneration Project Pemuteran
Whilst in Bali in March 11 I visited a friend up in Pemuturan which is on the north western corner of Bali, about a three hour drive from Denpasar.
My friend, Rani, has been involved in this project since the late 1990s, and the project is about regenerating the coral reef destroyed in some flooding that occurred some years ago.
Over the past 10 years Rani and her crew have built some steel lattice structures and submerged them in the area where the previous reef had been.
Rani and her crew then ran a low electrical current through the steel and collected, thus far, some 100 coral species from all around Indonesia.
The theory is that the low voltage direct current promotes the growth of the coral, and as my recent snorkelling experience showed me, it is working. The reefs are thus electrically charged to grow.
The project covers approximately a hectare of seabed, and it is really heartening to see so much healthy coral and the brightly coloured fish that it attracts.
Rani feels that more and more with global warming there will be increasing bleaching and subsequent death of coral and feels like she is creating what may be a Noah’s Ark of coral.
Rani has installed underwater lights for night snorkelling which she says is very beautiful, though as I was only there during the day I did not experience that.
The reef is just in front of the Taman Sari Resort and Spa which is one of those idyllic Balinese resorts that exude luxury, beauty and comfort without the 5 star price tag.
At around $100/night for a bungalow it is a wonderful place for that romantic weekend out of the hussle and bussle of the downtown Kuta tourist strip.
The reef project, called The Pemuteran Karang Lestari Coral Conservation Project, is in the February 2004 issue of Scuba Diver Magazine.
Like most worthwhile projects privately sponsored, you can donate money to buy coral or help constructing another steel scaffold to act as a lattice. Rani has plans to submerge concrete sculptures to make it even more an underwater park.
I returned in 2013 and was amazed at how much the reef had grown. What also amazed me was how many different fish species had arrived. Blue fish that hid in blue coral, yellow in yellow etc.
Funny how the word had gotten out to all these different fish along the coast that there was a new haven happening where there was no fishing and they could live their lives in peace. Nature is amazing.
So for a holiday with a difference, with great snorkelling and the added bonus of getting involved in a really good reef regen project, visit Pemuturan, and enjoy!
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I am a Geography teacher in Brunei and a diving instructor. I am researching (early days) to do something very similar here and at the same time get the students involved. Is there any information available on how to get started, techniques to use etc that would help me out?
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Many thanks
Chris