Sun, sand and saving the planet

With marine and coastal tourism being a major part of the ocean economy, Insight looks at whether it can play a role in helping communities earn a living, while protecting nature.

- Audrey Tan

They have scuba-dived in many parts of Asia, from the reefs of Manado, Indonesia, to the mysterious depths of Yonaguni, Japan.

While on the Indonesian isle of Bali last September, the Chua family – Amanda, 37, her brother Irwin, 33, and their cousins Gabriel, 28, and Zachary, 20 – embarked on a new underwater adventure: planting corals with Livingseas, a dive centre in Padangbai town.

The coral restoration programme ropes in tourists to help bring life back to the seafloor, left barren after the original reef had been destroyed by blast fishing, a fishing practice involving the use of explosives to stun or kill large schools of fish.

For a fee of around $200 a person, tourists can go diving to help install artificial reef structures, known as reef stars, on the seafloor, with baby corals attached to them using cable ties. At the same time, they can learn more about coral reefs – tropical habitats that cover less than 1 per cent of the global seafloor.

The fee goes towards restoration efforts and also covers costs of equipment rental and dive guides.

Over time, the coral fragments will grow, covering the original structure and recruiting a greater diversity of coral and fish species.

Said Mr Gabriel Chua, an entrepreneur: "We joined the coral restoration exercise out of a deep love for the ocean. Over the years, we've watched some of our favourite dive sites decline, and it made a real impact on us."

He added: "This felt like a meaningful way to give back to the underwater world that has given us so much."