Pemuteran, a resort cum coral nursery center

By Pariama Hutasoit

BULELENG, Bali (JP): Pemuteran was once a sleepy village in northern Bali, passed over by investors despite its strategic location straddling west and eastern parts of the island, and its captivating scenery and magnificent undersea beauty.

The village, an arid area of black sand coastline, was mostly visited by divers drawn by its coral reefs. For Bali's Hindus, the village is a familiar name since it is situated next to Pemaron village, home to Pulaki temple, one of the six biggest temples in Bali.

Life changed 11 years ago when Pemuteran was designated a resort zone. Today, the village's reputation abroad is not only as a resort where local and foreign tourists seek escape, but also as the site of the largest coral reef nursery using electrolytic mineral accretion technology.

Launched in June last year, Karang Lestari -- a community- based coral reef restoration project in Pemuteran village -- has shown encouraging results, raising some hope for the restoration of damaged coral reefs in other areas in Bali and the rest of the country. The project's implementation has been possible thanks to cooperation among villagers, local dive shops and management of hotels that together comanage the project.

It is the first in Indonesia using electrolytic mineral accretion; the Maldives, Thailand, the United States and several other countries have also applied the technology.

Mineral accretion uses low voltage direct currents that can be generated by solar and tidal energy sources to grow solid limestone on conductive materials, like iron, in the sea. These can be used to grow artificial reefs, breakwaters or construction materials, to greatly accelerate coral growth and reproduction and to create habitat for other reef organisms.

Mineral accretion structures can be built in any size or shape. The key factors affecting their size are the physical structure of the sea bottom, wave energies, materials available and the source of power used.

The technology was first applied in Pemuteran by marine biologists Prof. Wolf Hilbertz and Dr. Thomas Goreau. The first coral nursery structure was set up in front of Yos Dive at Pondok Sari Hotel and Reef Seen Aquatics in June last year, in cooperation with Yos Amerta and Bali's Marine Tourism Association.

After promising initial results, the project was introduced to marine biologists around the world at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Bali last October. At that time, three more nurseries were built in front of the village temple off the coast.

Last March, 18 other nurseries were set up through cooperation with Archipelago Dives, Taman Sari Hotel and a couple of environmental enthusiasts, Randall Dodge and Rani E. Morrow- Wuigk.

There are now 22 mineral accretion coral nurseries with a total length of 222 meters and basal area of around 0.04 hectares.

These coral nursery structures range in age and development from a few days to nearly a year old. Together, they use around four kilowatts of electrical power. Two electrodes, supplied with low-voltage direct current, are submerged in sea water.

At the same time, a wide range of organisms on or near the growing substrate are affected by electrochemically changed conditions, shifting their growth rates. Living corals are carefully collected and transplanted onto these structures and attached with wires or wedged between steel bars. The coral is quickly cemented in place by the growing minerals forming over the structure's surface.

Mineral accretion is a function of the electrical conditions at the site of attachment and of the species. It is typically about three to five times faster than normal growth, but can be as high as 10 times faster. They are growing life support systems to support rich ecology.

Before and after videos by Rani E. Morrow-Wuigk clearly show the changes in the reef over the last few years, from one lushly covered with coral and abounding with fish to barren rubble virtually devoid of fish. These areas were formerly the best diving as well as fishing areas, and they are still intensively fished even though a full six hours in the water may yield no more than a tiny catch.

But a mineral accretion structure, if sufficiently large, is capable of reducing wave energy at the shoreline and hence reducing coastal erosion rates. They are already major tourist attractions because of their unusual white shapes, the exceptionally bright and fast growing coral on them and the clouds of brilliantly colored fish that live in them.

The project owes its success to I Gusti Agung Prana, who initiated the resort's development. He was the owner of Taman Sari Hotel and was among the founders of Pondok Sari Hotel, the first in the village, before its transfer to other parties. With Randall Dodge and Rani, he participated in the funding of the biggest coral project, costing about Rp 400 million, at Taman Sari.

Since his introduction of the Pemuteran tourist zone, Prana has been busy in the development of such villages, and also in his capacity as a deputy chairman of the local tourist industry association (Asita). Familiar to local villagers, he began to develop Pemuteran into a resort in 1989.

Without any direct role in the activities of environment-based NGOs, Prana knows precisely how to popularize this project among rural communities. They are entertained with Bali's famous guidance-packed gong drama and performing arts.

"These arts convey messages about the environment so that they understand the importance of coral reefs," he said.

For greater support, he also participates in communal activities like temple repair and prayer services. In preparing the project, for instance, he conducted a village meeting and prayers "to solicit direction and enlightenment regarding environmental conservation".

Pemuteran villagers, particularly fishermen, have been involved in structural construction, sea patrols and coast guarding. No vendors are found on the beach as a cooperative has established a site for them with the support of local businesses. Local tourist firms also contribute 5 percent of their gross revenue to Pemuteran's treasury.

The comanagement model of coral reef conservation using the mineral accretion system is being applied in other areas of the island, such as Menjangan, Tulamben, Amed and Candi Dasa. Other sites with damaged coral reefs expected to benefit from the method are Sanur and Nusa Dua.