As many as 540 coral reef seeds were planted by UGM KKN PPM students in Nagari Mandeh and Nagari Sungai Nyalo, Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra, on Friday (Aug. 1).
The installation of these artificial coral reefs is expected to preserve the underwater ecosystem in the Mandeh tourist area.
Coordinator of the KKN Menoreh Mandeh Coral Reef Planting Work Program, Fatih Husaen, stated that coral reefs have great benefits for marine ecosystems in maintaining biodiversity.
The KKN Menoreh Mandeh Team views coral reefs as organisms that must exist in every Indonesian aquatic area.
Husaen explained that the coral reefs will be planted in a conservation area on the coast of West Sumatra.
“Today we are planting 15 tables, and each table has 36 coral reefs,” Husaen revealed.
Coordinator of KKN Menoreh Mandeh, Raditya Affandi, added that KKN Menoreh Mandeh is in its first year in Nagari Mandeh and Nagari Sungai Nyalo in Pesisir Selatan Regency.
The plan is for KKN in this region to continue in the following years.
“So for this first year, we are collecting data, observing primary data, and preparing for future work for the next few years,” Affandi said.
UGM Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, stated that this coral reef planting action is part of the university’s effort to protect nature through concrete actions against the threat of damage.
“The saving of nature we are doing by planting coral reefs is a tangible part of our commitment that is implemented concretely through a practical arena,” Dr. Sujito said.
According to Dr. Sujito, the contribution of young people in saving nature has a significant impact on the future of the environment.
This is especially true amidst the massive exploitation of nature and mining activities.
“The future of nature depends on our treatment of it. The more we love nature, I am confident it will create prosperity,” he said.
The nature-saving program carried out by UGM is expected to inspire other universities to do the same.
“I am confident this will become a social movement for saving nature. Amidst us facing economic crises, natural crises, climate change, and global warming, planting coral reefs is a small, concrete action that has great benefits for all of us in saving nature and saving humanity,” he asserted.
Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, Satyawan Pudyatmoko, stated that Indonesia faces a challenge in preserving coral and marine resources.
This is especially true amidst the threat of climate change. This is because climate change increases sea water temperature, often causing a phenomenon called coral bleaching, which leads to their death.
“The other cause, of course, is pollution,” he said.
On the other hand, the existence of coral reefs faces irresponsible exploitation.
This comes from the impacts of bombing, and the material being taken for road and building foundations.
The damage to coral reefs causes a decrease in marine fishery productivity on the beaches.
“The fish are getting smaller; they go deeper to find large fish. This is a sign that the marine ecosystem must be repaired and revitalized through coral reef planting,” he explained.
According to the director general, the existence of coral reefs in marine ecosystems is essential.
It supports fisheries, fish productivity, and fish diversity. The survival rate of fish also increases when the coral reefs are healthy.
“We in the government are also very grateful to UGM for having its students plant coral reefs. We commit to international conventions to prevent species extinction and also have a commitment to increase ecosystem productivity,” he explained.
Head of the Padang Coastal and Marine Resource Management Center (BPSPL), Rahmat Irfansyah, acknowledged that his center is facing a serious challenge.
This is in their effort to continuously save coral reefs.
According to Irfansyah, the coral reef saving efforts carried out by UGM KKN students align with the government’s grand vision.
This vision is to continue making the sea a foundation for realizing economic growth and our future food security through the blue economy.
“We witnessed it ourselves, together with UGM KKN friends in Alor, Maratua, and many other small outermost islands that are part of the effort to save environmental sovereignty, including empowering communities into one unit,” Irfansyah concluded.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie