Stars In Our Seas - Coral Reforestation In Bali

A few months ago, we announced our partnership with Livingseas Asia in East Bali - restoring the degraded reefs there through the planting of coral reef stars.

Since then, our partner, Livingseas, has been actively planting coral reef stars and repurposed bottles throughout Padangbai in Bali, maintaining these structures and conducting research to continuously improve their implementation. Here, we will share with you more details about the project and how you can get involved.

Why Bali?

Bali sits in the Coral Triangle - a marine region known to be the world’s centre of marine biodiversity, spanning the tropical waters around Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This area holds a phenomenal 76% of the world’s coral species and its resources directly sustain more than 120 million people living in the area.

Image Credit: Livingseas

However, as Indonesia struggled to deal with the economic impacts of COVID19, their poverty rate rose to 9.8%. Their tourism industry has also suffered >S$9.5 billion losses as a result. In 2018, the Indonesian Science Institute also found that 34% of Indonesia's coral reefs are in a "poor" condition, meaning that live coral cover is below 25% due to destructive fishing techniques, increased carbon dioxide emissions and nutrient and sediment loading. However, the positive effect of healthy coral reefs on Indonesia’s coastal fisheries, development, and tourism sectors could also contribute an additional $37 billion to the economy by 2030.

What are Coral Reef Stars?

Coral Reef Stars are hexagonal steel bars shaped into a star, anchored onto the sea bed while promoting corals to spread along the structure. We allow each star to be branded with our sponsors’ logos.

Image Credit: Livingseas

Each Coral Reef Star is connected together underwater to form a large web on the surface of the degraded reef. Coral fragments are planted by divers and tied securely to the Reef Stars. Within 2-3 months, coral repopulation can be observed (subject to light, temperature, Co2 levels, nutrient levels, etc.).

Why Coral Reef Stars?

In August 2019, a comparative study was conducted with Kopernik - a Bali based non-profit that works to reduce poverty by experimenting with potential solutions that address common challenges facing people living in the last mile. The experiment was conducted with monthly monitoring over 7 months until February 2020, when we were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Limestone statues, bottle reefs, and the Reef Stars were compared and installed in 2 different reef sites - Baung Penyu and Mimpang.

Image Credit: Livingseas