A coral reef preservation program in Indonesia

The coral reef restoration program in Rajat Ampat, West Papua is moving ahead faster than expected!!
Geographical and demographic features make Raja Ampat an area relatively unscathed by anthropogenic pressures and global warming favoring the success of the YAF KERU program's coral reef restoration. 

The coral reefs are restored by coral gardeners local from coral fragments that are cut and attached to submerged metal structures on key areas.
€18 = 1m² of reef restored + 1m² of additional reef protected
Your help is precious, thank you for your support

YAF KERU is supported by Planète Mer and local NGO The SEA People 

An update is in order for the YAF KERU program supported by Planète Mer in collaboration with The Sea People!!
 
                    ONE-THIRD OF THE RESTORATION ACHIEVED!
  

The Yaf Keru program aims to restore up to 5 hectares of coral reefs destroyed by dynamite and cyanide fishing practices.

At Raja Ampat in Indonesia, field teams have now restored 1.5 ha of reefs corallian accounting for 47,556 corals transplanted since 2016, and representing 130 coral phenotypes divided into some 30 genera. The work is becoming increasingly effective, with almost half of the transplants having been carried out in the last 6 months.   

That's a third of the objectives in terms of restored surface area achieved by 2023! 

A total of 460 dives have been carried out by members of The Sea People on site. Their method? Stabilize the substrate with galvanized mesh, then transplant healthy coral fragments recovered from the ground because they had been detached from their colony. This nature-based solution, harmless to both the environment taken and the receiving environment, thus helps maintain the exceptional diversity of Raja Ampat's coral colonies. 

                     Yaf Keru has many more surprises in store for 2024! 

 

YAF KERU "Coral Garden" is an ambitious local development program, in Indonesia, around the protection and restoration of 5 ha of coral reefs over the next 3 years.

The program underwent a pilot phase between 2016 and 2020 that tested, demonstrated the feasibility of restoration and demonstrated its ecological and social impact on the area.                                                                 

Since mid-2023, it has entered a phase of accelerating its impact by extending the number of hectares restored and multiplying the number of sites.                                                                                         

 Coral reefs are restored by local "Coral Gardeners", using coral fragments that are cut and attached to submerged metal structures in key areas. By restoring and stabilizing the substrate at the top of the slope, we prevent the reef at the bottom from being buried by dead coral and coral debris.                                                                                     
By  restoring 1ha on the upper part, it's at least 1 hectare protected on the lower part.  

                                                                                                                    YAF KERU is co-sponsored by The Sea people, the local association in charge of the project's field deployment, and Planète Mer scientific communications and background research partner.
18 € ꓿ 1m² reef restored + 1m² additional reef protected

              Your help is precious, thank you for your support!!   

Beautiful progress regarding coral reef restoration, thanks to the YAF KERU program.

- the "Coral Gardeners" at work → 1 hectare of reef has been restored while protecting 1 hectare of primary, pristine reef ;

- spectacular images → coral reef before restoration and 29 months later.

The aim is to begin a change of scale for the YAF KERU program, so the challenge is to accelerate and reach 5 hectares of restoration. The Sea People boat, the new logistics platform, will enable this change of scale to begin.

18 € ꓿ 1m² of reef restored + 1m² of additional reef protected

Some news about our YAF KERU program:
YAF KERU ("Coral Garden" in the local Papuan language) is an ambitious local development program, in Indonesia, around the protection and restoration of 5 hectares of coral reefs over 3 years.YAF KERU is being developed in the heart of the world's most diverse coral reef zone, in the Indonesian province of Raja Ampat, where over 550 species of coral have been recorded. YAF KERU's main objective is to restore these reefs in a particularly resilient area, placing local populations at the heart of the action in a sustainable manner. The health of coral reefs depends on the health of the oceans and the people who live on them.

● Surface restored: > 8475m²
● Number of structures involved: 152 structures (2070m²) of stabilizing mesh

● Number of corals transplanted : > 21307
● Survival rate of transplanted corals: 75 to 93% depending on site (84% average), with mortality mainly caused by inter-species competition (sponges, algae, ascidians, octocorals) in the first 6 months of installation
● Growth rate: reaches 2cm/month for Acropora sp. And Montipora sp probably thanks to the excellent water circulation in the bay hosting the project
● Diversity: at least 76 species phenotypes of transplanted corals
● Monitoring set up to regularly evaluate the project
● 7 jobs created of local community members
● Currently training 3 coral gardeners and 3 divers
● 5 work-study students have submitted a dissertation (3 valedictorians)