TANJUNG BENOA, Bali (BPN) – AquaNest, a one-stop water adventure experience and diving course in Tanjung Benoa, Bali, launched the Coral Foster Parent Experience for the public, which combines a diving experience while also taking part in the restoration and conservation of coral reef ecosystem.
According to Dirga Adhi Putra Singkarru, CEO of AquaNest Experience, the Coral Foster Parent Experience is the first commercial and open-for-public program certified by Mari Culture in Indonesia.
“So far, conservation activities have only been carried out by the government and non-government organizations. Through the Coral Foster Parent Experience program, the community can participate to restore and conserve Indonesia’s coral reef and marine ecosystems, in addition to enjoying the popular water tourism activities in Bali,” he said at the launching on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
Dirga explained AquaNest targets the Tanjung Benoa area will become one of Indonesia’s coral bases, which is aimed at the restoration and preservation of coral reef ecosystems, including for educational and conservation research.
This program, Dirga continued, can be experienced by everyone including young and old, children and adults, solo travelers and families, local and international travelers, environmentalists to diving enthusiasts, at the AquaNest Experience in Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua, Bali, and grab the package starting from IDR 750 thousand.
The program starts by taking visitors to experience Discover Scuba Diving. Then, the instructor will guide them for the transplantation process of kids coral from its mother coral at 0 to 5 meters depth. Followed by planting it in separate coral reef areas.
The newly planted coral will be tagged with its name and its foster parent’s name.
After the planting, visitors who have become foster parents will receive a certificate and are advised to visit their foster children within a period of 6 months to one year after planting.
AquaNest guarantees a 99 percent success rate of replanting this kids coral. The possibility of it failing to grow and develop is relatively low unless there is a negative force majeure, such as an underwater earthquake, ocean warming, or something of a natural cause.
“The Coral Foster Parent Experience has placed AquaNest as a one-stop water adventure solution for anyone visiting Bali and enjoying the unlimited opportunities to go healing and make the coral smile,” said Dirga.
“We hope that the program to restore damaged coral reef ecosystems through the coral foster parents program can be implemented in other areas in Indonesia so that restoration of coral reefs will be more extensive and the country’s income from marine tourism will increase.”
Indonesia is home to 569 species or 67 percent of the world’s total 845 coral species. Data from the Central Statistics Agency shows that the area of coral reefs in Indonesia, which once touched 2.5 million hectares (2018), is now just over 1.7 million hectares, with 16.32 percent damaged.
This is caused by human activities, global warming, and plastic waste. Research has found that coral reefs that are covered in plastic waste can die because it does not get sunlight to grow.
Considering that coral reefs are very important for the life of marine biota and have the potential for the tourism industry, coral reef restoration must be one of the priorities of many parties in Indonesia, including the Indonesian Association of Coral, Shell, and Ornamental Fish (AKKII) as one of the stakeholders that have interest in Indonesia’s coral reefs.
In collaboration with several other stakeholders including the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), for example, AKKII has provided training to the Balinese community to restore coral reefs through the development of coral garden under the ICRG (Indonesia Coral Reef Garden) program, one of which is in the Tanjung Benoa area, Nusa Dua, Bali.
