18 Oct Knowledge Sharing on Coral Reef Restoration and Program Planning for Community in East Nusa Tenggara
Labuan Bajo is well-known for its natural beauty, and Hatamin Island, located 45 minutes away, still managed to astonish us with its stunning features – solid rock foundation and its crystal-clear waters. Similarly, the community members of Yayasan Waka Eling Semeton (WES), with their resilience and dedication, mirror the island’s greatness. CTC had the pleasure to collaborate with Coral Guardian in facilitating the Introduction of Coral Reef Restoration and Program Planning in Hatamin Island, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Ten members of both Coral Guardian and WES (7 male, 2 female) attended the activity conducted in early September 2023.
In line with CTC’s mission to build capacity and enthusiasm for resilience-based management and restoration of reefs in Indonesia, the activity focused on sharing knowledge and skill on coral reef restoration. The four-day training program covered six main topics, including coral biology, herbivorous fish, and the step by step of how to plan a coral reef restoration program starting from site selection up to monitoring, maintenance, and reporting. This information was conveyed through class sessions, paired with interactive simulations, dry-runs, and in water practices.
During the sessions, participants had the opportunity to engage in discussions with the CTC team and gain hands-on experience in candidate site assessment as well as Reef Star installation. We were delighted to engage in the valuable knowledge exchange, gleaning insight from the existing site managed by the community.
“The high spirit of coral reef restoration by various organizations, practitioners, and community groups needs to be guided by scientific protocols in order to achieve measurable success. ” said Marthen Welly, CTC’s Marine Conservation Adviser.
At the end of the activity, comprehensive evaluation forms were distributed by the facilitators, covering several aspects such as the level of participants’ satisfaction with the materials, facilitators’ ability in conveying lessons, and time management. The evaluation result showed the participants’ satisfaction with the overall sessions. These feedbacks are instrumental in shaping our future programs.
The initiative marks a promising step toward bolstering the capacity and enthusiasm of the local community regarding coral reef restoration in East Nusa Tenggara. CTC remains committed to support initiatives at the local level and assist in increasing resilience of coral reefs. We are excited to explore further collaboration with passionate communities of the Coral Triangle region.
Writers: Adam Puta, Eureka Amadea, Marthen Welly
Photos: Marthen Welly/CTC, Eureka Amadea/CTC
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