12 Aug CTC Opens Doors to New Center for Marine Conservation in Bali

CTC’s new learning center dedicated to marine conservation and training opened its doors on August 11, 2017 in Sanur, Bali aiming to reach 1.5 million people by 2020 to care for the oceans and those that depend on it.

The first of its kind in Indonesia, the Center for Marine Conservation is a unique facility, providing an integrated learning space for marine professionals and managers, school children, youth groups, families, tourists and entrepreneurs to learn about and be inspired to protect our oceans.

 

“With the completion of Phase One of our Center, we begin a new chapter our Marine Conservation in Indonesia.  We hope the Center will be a source of education, training, information and, hopefully, inspiration,” said George Tahija, Chairman of CTC’s Board of Trustees during the ceremony that marked the opening of the training facilities.

The Center’s first phase has an integrated training and meeting venue, with two beautifully designed pavilions (wantilan) that can accommodate up to 40 people each. It also provides dive training centers and instructors with a comprehensive training facility that combines a purpose-built dive training pool that is 4.5-meter deep and associated facilities.

Indonesia is at the heart of the Coral Triangle, the bull’s eye of the world’s marine biodiversity where 77% of coral reef species are 37% of reef fish species are found. Yet these ecosystems are threatened by over-fishing, destructive fishing practices, poor tourism practices, coastal development and pollution.

Awareness, education and training are the keys to effecting long term, sustainable change. Through innovative and hands-on learning exhibits, visitors to the new Center for Marine Conservation will learn about the Coral Triangle region’s unique biodiversity, its people’s well-being and livelihood, and the vital importance of marine protection.

The Center aims to provide an integrated learning venue for marine conservation training programs and outreach activities as well as artistic and cultural performances, to influence a wide range of people to care for Indonesia and the Coral Triangle’s marine environment.

Apart from the training facilities, the Center for Marine Conservation will also house innovative and interactive tools to spread the message of marine conservation to the wider public. One of these is the marine-themed “Escape Room SOS from the Deep,” a fun and interactive way to inform people about the ocean environment, and the threats it faces while they challenge themselves against the puzzles. Users will come out with a greater understanding of the situation, what they can do to help, and a smile on their face.

Another exhibit in the works is the Coral Wall, a monumental scale ceramic sculptural installation that showcases the beauty of life under the ocean’s surface. The design of this community-based artwork draws inspiration from the beauty and diversity coral reef ecosystems and will serve as a tool to increase public awareness about the value of healthy oceans to the Coral Triangle—the heart of marine biodiversity.

“A facility such as CTC’s Center for Marine Conservation is the first in Indonesia and very innovative. Once again, this is to prove that CTC is highly capable as the leading institution in marine resource management and fisheries in Indonesia. It also brings up CTC as the center of excellence in leadership of marine conservation development and fisheries management in the world,” said Suseno Sukoyono, Special Advisor to the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia during the Center’s opening ceremony.