Build The Reef

Every year, Java Sea Charters and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) organise and fund the celebrated Build your own Reef weekend in the Sunda Straits

Pulau Badul, located in the bay of Ujung Kulon National Park, is the site for this project, which has by now been acknowledged as the largest man-made reef. The tiny island had its surrounding reef almost completely destroyed by fish bombing in the early 2000s. It has been protected since, but the comeback of the reef by itself has been slow, due to the total devastation at the time.

“Build the reef” is of proven ecological benefit; An astonishing 80% of the colonies are shown to be alive and healthy a year after planting, illustrating the valuable impact on the ecosystem.

The location

The Sustainability of this WWF project depends not only on Java sea charters to build the reef, but on the local community to take responsibility for the marine environment. WWF works tirelessly to involve the locals as much as possible, so that the villagers profit from the ecological projects.

With the Build The Reef weekend adding coral farming and tourism as alternative sources of income, the fishermen are beginning to respect and understand the marine area and the terrestrial parts of the Park. The ecological benefits thus reach much further than the sea life alone.

An astonishing 80% of the colonies are shown to be alive and healthy a year after planting, and will thus survive, proving that these kind of activities can make a valuable impact on the ecosystem.

The divers

When we launched the initiative to contribute to WWF’s efforts in Ujung Kulon National Park in 2007, the trip was overbooked within one day of promoting. Scuba divers clearly not only want to appreciate marine life as passive viewers, but many will jump at the chance to play an active role in maintaining marine biodiversity.

With the raving feedback from all participants after the weekend, the involvement of the locals, and the high survival rate of the reefs to date, Java Sea Charters has decided to now organise such events annually. The repeat trips will include monitoring the development of the recently built reefs.

So those who missed the earlier opportunities, join us for the upcoming Build The Reef weekend!!

WWF Indonesia has set up a website for the reef-building projects: http://www.wwf.or.id/BuildReef. The site will give you plenty of interesting information on other WWF projects, but also on what you can do yourself for the oceans, such as their very useful Sea Food Guide of which species to eat and those to avoid

Leave a legacy as a diver by building your own reef during this exciting, fun and unique weekend! Sign up by sending an email today to booking@javaseacharters.com