THE OCEAN’S RAINFORESTS
The first time I encountered the magic of a coral reef Ringo Starr accompanied me in my head singing ‘I’d ask my friends to come and see an octopus’ garden with me.’ I was transfixed by the neon colored corals and the abundant diversity of marine life happily swimming in this underwater garden. My first impulse was to lie down on this rainbow painted reef and intimately commune with its rich life, just as I would lie in a mountain meadow. Yet I was told before the dive that although this coral looks as if it is static like stone, coral are colorful creatures akin to the jellyfish.
Coral begin their life as free-floating larvae. Eventually the larva attaches itself to a hard surface and grows into a polyp. A single coral polyp may be as large as a saucer or smaller than the head of a pin. The polyp begins to form colonies that then sexually or asexually reproduce. A coral polyp consists primarily of tentacles, a mouth and a gut looking a bit like an upside down jellyfish. Many corals are passive feeders on plankton. Most corals also receive nutrition symbiotically from microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living within their tissue. Coral polyps are generally nocturnal feeders. Millions of these tiny baby polyps cooperatively work as colony, through successive generations to create the limestone skeletons that form the framework of a coral reef. A reef grows very slowly. It may take up to a hundred years for a coral reef to grow one foot.
Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. Like the rainforests they are a biologically diverse ecosystem. Coral reefs occupy 0.07 percent of the combined oceans floor yet they are home to one quarter of the world’s marine species. The oceans rainforests serve as home for many fish that find themselves on a plate for dinner. The reefs generate billions of dollars annually in tourist and commercial fishing revenues. These ocean walls act as a barrier against storms and recently, scientists have discovered that coral communities may contain medicinal ingredients leading to treatment for cancer, malaria and the HIV virus. And like their rainforest siblings the coral reefs are vulnerable to the controlling interests of humans who do not comprehend their value in maintaining sustainable life for humanity on planet earth.
These curious coral creatures are fragile. Stepping on a coral with a foot or a huge rubber fin extinguishes its life. Dropping an anchor on coral completely devastates that part of the reef. In Central America the reef known as The Belize Wall has only 50 percent live coral due to anchor damage from irresponsible dive masters. Snorkeling tourists pluck live coral from the garden to take home with them as a souvenir. 50 million tons of red and pink coral are harvested annually without regard to their regeneration to create necklaces worth USD $25,000. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists blue, black and fire coral as endangered and is now considering adding the red and pink coral.
The 2011 World Resources Institute (WRI) report entitled Reefs at Risk found that 75% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by local and global impacts, including climate change. The report concluded that conservation efforts during the past decade have failed to halt overfishing, dynamite fishing, coastal development and pollution. Greenhouse gas emissions contributing to rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification due to higher carbon dioxide levels are killing coral reefs worldwide. Indonesia is identified as one of the 9 most vulnerable countries to coral reef degeneration.
“At their core, reefs are about people as well as nature: Ensuring stable food supplies, promoting recovery from coral bleaching, and acting as a magnet for tourist dollars. We need apply the knowledge we have to shore up existing protected areas, as well as to designate new sites where threats are highest, such as the populous hearts of the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Middle East,” said Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at the Nature Conservancy and a lead author of the Reefs at Risk report. A baby coral polyp may not be as heart wrenching as a polar bear or orangutan, yet these vulnerable, beautiful beings are designed to create a home for the oceans sea creatures-fish, dolphins, turtles and whales.
The Municipality of Pemuteran, Singaraja, Northwest Bali along with local dive shops, restaurants and hotels have been forerunners in regenerating and maintaining healthy reefs in what is now known as the Pemuteran Coral Reef Protected Area. Eleven years ago the reefs in this exquisitely beautiful sheltered bay were devastated by dynamite blasting, overfishing and irresponsible divers. 100 year old corals were banished with the bombs. Now 300 meters of coral reef situated on 2 hectares is home to The Karang Lesteri Project, the largest Biorock® coral nursery and restoration project in the world, exceeding the combined sizes of all other ongoing projects in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Ocean.
In June 2000 Tom Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, a non-profit coral reef protection organization introduced Electrolytic Mineral Accretion Technology (Biorock®) to the inhabitants of Pemuteran Bay as a safe, rapid method to regenerate the reef. Wolf, an architect invented Biorock® as a form of alternative construction materials. Tom Goreau saw its use as a safe, easy way to restore reefs.
The technology is simple: Construct a steel structure for the coral polyp to attach and run a few megahertz of electricity through the steel to cause dissolved minerals to crystallize on structures. These minerals grow into a white limestone- similar to that which naturally makes up coral reefs and tropical white sand beaches-and has strength similar to concrete. The coral polyp then has familiar calcium like structure to attach to and can begin its life.
To regenerate two hectares of reef requires many hands and many structures. Biorock® technology combines science, creativity and community building to ensure a conscious interdependent relationship between reef, ocean and human. To date 56 Biorock® forms have been constructed by locals and internationals attending Biorock® workshops. 1 centimeter to 1.3 centimeters in diameter steel rods are pieced together to form various shapes such as a turtle, manta ray, flower and pyramid. The coral that grows on these configurations are exceptionally brightly colored and resistant to environmental stress. The colonies are brighter than their naturally growing counterparts, grow more rapidly and support dense populations of a variety of marine life.
The corals selected for transplantation were those that were significantly damaged and most likely die, thus avoiding more damage to healthy corals. When the corals attain healthy maturity, some are transplanted to reefs farther out in the bay regenerating reefs that supply local fishermen with their livelihood and others remain in their Biorock® nurseries providing a few awe inspired meters of diving and snorkeling trails. The fishermen and villagers experience the value in regenerating the reefs as their livelihoods are now more abundant with fish and tourists.
Celia Gregory a London based mosaic artist says “Nature is my Goddess. She provides me with the flowing receptivity that provides me with inspiration and magic for my mosaics.” Celia, a dive master is forging a path into new creative waters with her underwater sculpture The Coral Goddess. “When I first saw Pemuteran Bay I envisioned a statue of a goddess rising out of a coral lotus flower sitting underwater.” The Coral Goddess, officially welcomed and blessed with a full Balinese ceremony, is a living artwork dedicated to the health of the seas.
The goddess figurine is made out of volcanic stone and sits in a lotus shaped Biorock® assembly. “I collected only the loose and damaged baby corals from the surrounding reef much like a gardener lovingly creates a garden with a vision for what it will look like in full bloom.” The Biorock® structures in Pemuteran Bay are fueled through the donation of electricity from business owners along the beach. The Coral Goddess is the first Biorock® structure to receive its electrical charge from the sun and the wind.
As The Coral Goddess reigns as a protective deity in Pemuteran Bay, the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is under siege by a vast dredging program conducted by the Gladstone Ports Corporation. This Goliath has won approval from the Australian government to dredge 46 million cubic meters (the size of 27 cricket grounds) from the reef to construct three coal seam gas plants over the next 20 years. The toxins from the dredging are washing fish onto shore with a strange flesh disease. In the first 6 months of this operation of reef rape there has been a steep increase in deaths of endangered marine wildlife - 6 dolphins, 10 dugongs and 231 turtles. We are not separate from the earth. What we do to the earth results in destruction to ourselves.
Oceans are great open hearts refusing no rivers and receiving all that floats into Her waters. If you love the ocean, diving and/or snorkeling then place a visit to the Pemuteran Coral Reef Protected Area on your list of things to experience on Bali. Being with the goddess and the other delightful living constructions activates deep appreciation for the wealth, comfort, grace and strength of the sea. The diversity of marine life is exceptional due to the vibrant health of the restored reef which attracts dense populations of fish. The bay also benefits from long term visits from diverse marine life due to the reef’s proximity to the Rajat Ampat reef located in the Northwestern tip of Indonesia’s Papuan ‘Bird’s Head Seascape.” Rajat Ampat lies in the heart of the coral triangle, the most bio-diverse marine region on earth.
Rani Morrow-Wuigk a diver and underwater photographer resides on Pemuteran Bay and has created a unique coral conservation project entitled “Adopt A Baby Coral Project.” Rani lets us know that “Each one of us can help the earth. We just need to find a way to contribute…with gratitude. It is all about gratitude.”
To adopt a baby coral: http://biorockbali.webs.com/
The Marine Foundation and the Coral Goddess: http://www.themarinefoundation.org/
