If you think mainland Bali is beautiful, you should see what\u2019s under the surface. The Intrepid Foundation\u2019s new partner, the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), is helping to ensure there\u2019s more colour than chaos in the underwater wonderland that sits off the coast of Nusa Penida, Bali \u2013 while showing visitors and locals what it takes to protect it. <\/strong><\/p>\n First, let\u2019s talk about the colour. Bali<\/a>, Indonesia, sits in the middle of the Coral Triangle, a marine utopia in the western Pacific Ocean. Covering 5.7 million square kilometres of ocean, the Coral Triangle spans the waters off Indonesia<\/a>, Malaysia<\/a>, the Philippines<\/a>, Papua New Guinea<\/a>, Timor-Leste<\/a> and the Solomon Islands. It\u2019s home to 75% of the world\u2019s coral species and more than 2000 species of reef fish \u2013 a hub of marine biodiversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here comes the chaos: despite this abundance of life below the surface, only roughly two per cent of the Coral Triangle has been declared a Marine Protected Area (MPA). This means that just two per cent is protected for conservation by law.<\/p>\n Overfishing, overtourism and global warming all impact the reef systems here and the people, plants and marine life in this region are feeling the effects. Scientists say that the world\u2019s reefs have lost 50% of their coral cover over the last 30 years \u2013 it\u2019s time we do better. <\/p>\n As a marine ecologist and accomplished diver, Rili Djohani had logged long underwater hours diving in the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean<\/a>. Still, it wasn\u2019t until she hit the waters of the Coral Triangle in 1989 that she witnessed so much colour (and chaos) in one place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n During her early dives, Rili saw first-hand the destruction that follows unsustainable local fishing practices. Techniques include using dynamite or cyanide poisoning to stun or kill fish en masse \u2013 making them easy to catch but turning the once riotous reef a dull grey and destroying anything in their path.<\/p>\n With a small team and a big idea, Rili founded the Coral Triangle Center in 2010. Today, the foundation uses the following approaches to protect the Coral Triangle: establishing and supporting MPAs to conserve critical marine habitats and restore damaged ones; providing training for local communities to ensure that MPAs are managed effectively; and expanding public education and outreach to inspire more people to become advocates for ocean conservation.<\/p>\n The Coral Triangle Center works in eight of the marine protected areas within the Coral Triangle. They use cutting-edge conservation management techniques tailored to the environments they\u2019re protecting \u2013 the CTC team assures us that there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marine conservation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n However, there is<\/em> one approach that they say is the \u2018hero\u2019 of their team\u2019s efforts when it comes to coral restoration. It\u2019s called the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration Method\u2019s\u00a0\u2018reef star\u2019. Local community groups build steel structures or \u2018stars\u2019 approximately one metre squared. The \u2018stars\u2019 are coated with sand to increase the chances of the structure being adopted into its new environment. Coral fragments are then attached to the \u2018Reef Star\u2019 and a dedicated team of experts install and interlock the \u2018reef stars\u2019 below the surface to create a stable bed for corals to grow. This method has been known to increase coral cover from 5 per cent to 70 per cent in the restored areas in just three years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Since CTC adopted this method in its restoration site in the Nusa Penida MPA in late 2020, CTC has restored more than 157 square metres of damaged reefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing to rebuild the reefs physically, but it takes a lot more than that to ensure the ecosystems survive and thrive. That\u2019s where local community training and support come in.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CTC invests heavily in the people who live in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area. The restoration project creates additional benefits for locals, giving youth in the community of Ped Village access to conservation training programs and job opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leilani Gallard, Regional Communications Coordinator at CTC says, \u2018We\u2019re supporting public education for school children near the restoration site so that they learn about the importance of the reefs and help take care of these coral reefs now and in the future.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018These corals are living animals \u2013 taking years to rebuild,\u2019 she says. It\u2019s not just a matter of planting and forgetting. Alongside local villagers and various partners, the CTC nurtures the growth of the reef (and the health of our oceans as a whole) for the long term.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CTC also provides free programs for local public school students in Bali to visit their learning centre and discover more about climate action, sustainable fishing and reef health in a fun and interactive way. You can even visit the centre for yourself during Intrepid\u2019s Bali Family Holiday with Teenagers<\/a>. Have you ever listened to the underwater sounds of a healthy reef versus an unhealthy reef? Well, here you can. Surprisingly, you\u2019ll hear a big difference between the two.\u00a0Kids can also take on interactive puzzles and you can check out one of their real-life \u2018reef stars\u2019. Interactive installations are peppered throughout the centre to keep kids (and adults) on their toes.<\/p>\n You can even try to crack the code to ocean conservation by booking in to test out their reef-focused escape room, where you fill in the blanks on plastic consumption and coral restoration in order to break free.<\/p>\n Ocean health is a global issue and something that the CTC is fighting hard to protect and restore, piece by piece. That\u2019s why Intrepid donates to the CTC on behalf of every traveller on their multi-day Intrepid trips in Indonesia. These funds go directly towards restoring damaged reefs in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Areas and educating local communities. \u00a0<\/p>\n Leilani says the local team they\u2019ve trained \u2018are very passionate about coral reef protection, as they know the benefits that healthy reefs bring\u00a0to their community in the form of tourism as well as food security.\u00a0They have become ambassadors for coral reef protection in their community and outside as well.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Together, we\u2019re inspiring a new generation of ocean ambassadors \u2013 both locally and on a global level. We can help to ensure the reefs off the coast of Bali sport more colour than chaos in the coming years. <\/p>\n Will you join the movement? Find out more about how you can help at the Intrepid Foundation<\/a> or check out our small group adventures in Indonesia<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you think mainland Bali is beautiful, you should see what\u2019s under the surface. The Intrepid Foundation\u2019s new partner, the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), is helping to ensure there\u2019s more colour than chaos in the underwater wonderland that sits off the coast of Nusa Penida, Bali \u2013 while showing visitors and locals what it takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":190073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11760],"tags":[14637,14102,15411,32186,19376,15639,29478],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-190072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-balis","tag-center","tag-coral","tag-reefs","tag-regions","tag-restoring","tag-triangle"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-CTC_NusaPenida_-Dominic-Bryant.jpg\")
<\/a>One woman\u2019s epiphany\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-Intrepid-Foundation-Coral-Triangle-fish-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>An underwater mission\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Coral-Triangle-Center_Reef-Restoration.jpg\")
<\/a>Harnessing the power of community\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/The-Coral-Triangle-Center-interactive-displays-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>A patch of hope\u00a0<\/h2>\n