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Electric Current Saves Corals in Indonesia
Mikhail Tsyganov, RIA Novosti Click here to link to the original article with illustrations, in Russian A surprising show can be observed in a small fishing village Pemuteran, located on the North-Western part of the Indonesian island, Bali. I swim with a mask and snorkel a hundred feet along the underwater wires going from onshore batteries into the ocean and find that the wires are connected to underwater metal constructions that look like those on kid’s playgrounds. However, these underwater constructions are covered with colorful corals. Mysterious domes, “Mexican huts”, tunnels, and “mushrooms” extend over a hundred yards on the ocean floor and are the biggest and the most successful on the Planet. This project is aimed at restoring coral reefs and is called ‘Karang Lestari’ (Protected Coral) “When we started the project, no coral or even fish lived here”, said the manager of the project Mr. Narayana. A former hippie, who left the United States during the Vietnam War, Narayana traveled around the Eastern countries for many years until he settled in Bali. Today, he hardly recalls his native name, Randall Dodge, which his parents gave him in Nebraska. Today, fewer than 30% of all coral reefs on the Planet are healthy, compared to 41% as recently as two years ago. Although coral reefs cover only 0.2% of the Ocean bottom, they host approximately 30% of all fish and seafood stock. Many marine creatures live only on reefs. “Here they used to fish with dynamite and cyanide. This killed the coral”, said Narayana. Under the most favorable natural conditions, coral grows at rates as slow as half a centimeter per year. In polluted waters, damaged coral is incapable of recovering on its own. The technology used in the Karang Lestari project was invented by an American oceanographer, Thomas Goreau, and a German architect, Wolf Hilbertz. This process can accelerate coral growth by a factor of up to 10 times normal. (correction: 3-5 times is true of typical conditions. Measurements at Karang Lestari have shown 4 times faster growth of staghorn Acropora). The process also makes the coral more resilient to the unfavorable conditions in the environment such as marine pollution. As with most he modern discoveries, this invention is interdisciplinary. The inventors discovered that underwater metal structures are supplied with weak electric current, the growth of calcareous compounds on the construction is greatly enhanced. These compounds form the base for coral growth. Project volunteers collect broken corals and transplant them onto the metal structures. The electric current strengthens the corals and even stimulates their reproduction. Corals grow not only on the marine structures but also around them. The coral may grow and survive even in polluted environment while the electricity is on. The fate of tropical corals is of surprising interest to the citizens of remote Russia. Although these facts includes problems as sustaining genetic diversity and global warming that may appear to be far away from everyday concerns of Russian citizens. Corals are used to produce unique antibiotics unable to be synthesized in the laboratory. Australian scientists hope to extract from coral a new generation of antistatic [pain relievers]. Scientists are also trying to develop a coral-based medicine against cancer. “We are ready to extend our project to any place on the globe. However, millions of dollars are spent all around the world by inefficient and bureaucratized organizations for environmental protection for development of coral monitoring programs,” said Narayana. “It is already too late to monitor coral, it is now time to restore them” he added. Since the very beginning, the project “Karang Lestari” was funded only by private sources. This situation is still the case in spite of numerous awards won by the inventors. In addition to the enthusiasm of volunteers all around the world, owners of local tourist businesses support the project. “By the time I joined the project, Pemuteran had become one of the poorest villages in Bali. The waters had run out of fish and the land was hardly suitable for agriculture”, said Mr. Agung Prana, the founder and director of “Karang Lestari Fund” and the owner of Taman Sari Resort. “Since very beginning, I realized that we could do nothing without support of local citizens. The grown coral could be stolen; stocked fish could be taken and sold to fish collectors.” Prana added. To get support by the locals, Prana, a member of one of Bali’s Royal Families, donated money to restore a local Hindu temple and opened a store for fishermen to sale their custom-built souvenirs at his resort. “It was very important to show people that healthy coral attracts fish, which in turn attracts tourists who support local economy.” – said Prana. “We make every effort to hire local workers for the project. Ultimately, the value of a fish is much higher when it remains in the sea and attracts tourists.” he added. When the majority of the fishermen understood this, they started to boycott a number of poachers who ultimately had to quit their old methods. Now, the former poachers themselves protect the project from strangers. “The people understood that the outcome of the project belongs to them and their children. This is their future. The next step is to make a transition from fishing to fish nurseries; we are going to teach people this” - said Prana. “Now we are invited to show owners of diving centers and local authorities all around Indonesia to help them understand the prospects of our inexpensive and proven technology. We will come to new places as soon as the local citizens are ready”, concluded Prana. |
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