Maluku is a part of Indonesia that is known for its underwater beauty. There are now a number of Marine Protected Areas on the island of Maluku. For example are the oceans of the Damer area, North and West Seram, and the Lease Islands. Furthermore, there is no reason to deny the biodiversity of its oceans as Maluku is one of the provinces covered in the Coral Triangle area.
However, protecting all of these natural resources is not easy. Warming sea water temperatures and illegal fishing are just two of the challenges that are threatening the beauty and diversity of Maluku’s marine ecosystems. As a result, it is obvious that all parties, from the government to the general public, must work together to protect Maluku’s oceans. In addition, there are now an increasing number of communities or non-governmental organizations in Maluku that are devoted to the preservation of the ocean. Here’s a look at two of them!
1. Tunas Bahari Maluku
Since its establishment in 2019, the Tunas Bahari Maluku community has actively supported efforts to create a sustainable coastal and marine environment in Maluku. They frequently hold a variety of activities to achieve this purpose. Taking action to clean up trash in Haruku Island’s oceans with divers, cleaning up trash on the beach, researching local wisdom in Eastern Seram, having focus group conversations with fishermen, and discussing with the local government are just a few examples.
Tunas Bahari Maluku was also a part of EcoNusa’s Maluku Expedition in 2020. This trip aimed to clean up rubbish on beaches and in the oceans, plant corals, promote a plastic-free movement, and conduct COVID-19 prevention efforts. In this expedition, EcoNusa and Tunas Bahari Maluku collaborated to clean up the beach and plant coral reefs in the ocean.
2. Moluccas Coastal Care
Moluccas Coastal Care (MCC), like Tunas Bahari Maluku, is an NGO that works in fisheries, coastal environments, and small islands. Furthermore, this NGO works on the preservation of three essential coastal ecosystems: coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves. MCC has three key projects to fulfill these objectives: environmental protection, tree of hope, and children’s education.
Many initiatives have been performed to protect the environment, such as Aksi Si Kuda Laut (Siar Kebersihan untuk Darat dan Laut), which involves cleaning up rubbish and planting mangroves. Then there’s the tree of hope program, which involves distributing hundreds of saplings to communities across Maluku. It is hoped that this activity would encourage community participation in tree planting, preservation, and care. Furthermore, MCC also actively conducts socialization in local schools and builds learning houses in order to expand local children’s awareness of marine ecosystem protection.
Not only that, Moluccas Coastal Care has also collaborated with EcoNusa several times, one of which was conducting a training program called School of Eco Diplomacy Kewang Muda Maluku. Through this activity, 20 young people were given training to become environmental diplomats who are active in maintaining sustainability in their respective areas.
These two communities’ and NGOs’ actions are really cool, right? If you live in Maluku, you can actively participate in environmental protection efforts. As a result, you will have actively contributed to the preservation of the coastal environment and will have the opportunity to learn and network with additional individuals. In addition, let’s look forward to EcoNusa’s other exciting programs such as Sail to Campus and School of Eco Diplomacy, to learn more about Maluku’s marine issues.
