Community-Based Coral Reef Rehabilitation

Thank you so much for your donation to IDRAP work on Coral Reef Rehabilitation in South East Province in eastern part of Indonesia. Your generosity means everything to us and to the community we serve. We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to donating, and we are so grateful that you chose to donate to our cause. We promise to be responsible stewards of both your donation and your trust.

During this four-month period, IDRAP's fieldwork with the community included the coral planting, which began with a survey for mapping the locations to be rehabilitated. Five conditions were used as the basis for determining the agreed-upon locations, such as: severe coral damage, a location depth of around 3–5 meters to provide sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis, calm to moderate currents and not directly exposed to large waves, relatively clear seawater free from pollution/sediment with a temperature of around 23–30°C, and a relatively stable waterbed (compact sand or coral rubble).

IDRAP and community groups also selected the planting media created in the previous reporting period, separating the non-toxic media after drying in the sun and soaking in seawater. We then prepared coral seedlings taken from the area to be rehabilitated, considering their better adaptation potential. The seedlings were cut from healthy, branching parent coral colonies, measuring 5-10 centimeters. Only 2-3 branches/fragments of each parent coral were taken to ensure the sustainability of the parent coral and prevent damage.

The seedlings were then tied to the planting media using cable ties to prevent them from being dislodged by the waves. The planting media (with the seedlings tied together) was then transported carefully and without prolonged exposure to air to the agreed-upon transplantation site. The seedlings were placed approximately 3 meters apart to prevent them from touching each other during growth. Due to budget constraints, only 10 new coral seedlings could be planted and placed.

"I am very happy to be involved in this activity because it is a valuable experience for me, especially the experience of collecting coral seeds to plant in the growing medium. It was truly an experience I never imagined before.," said Karmali, a local fisherman in Southeast Sulawesi.

Thank you all for your support. We are all improving the future of the ocean, especially coral reefs as providers of nutrition not only for local communities but also for the world. Preserving coral reefs for present and future generations.