LINI is helping the coastal communities of Penuktukan, Les, Tejakula, Taman Sari, and Yeh Biu village to rehabilitate their reefs by establishing artificial reefs in their damaged areas. These are villages in Buleleng district North Bali. The objectives of this community-based reef rehabilitation is for regaining the function of reefs to serve as habitat for fish and other reef organisms on which the coastal communities depends on for food and source of their livelihood.

The type of artificial reefs that being installed such as shrimp pods to attract shrimp population for aquarium trade by the fishermen of Les. The idea of these pods is to provide shelters and breeding ground, so that fishermen can harvest the ornamental shrimps at the pods, therefore release the pressure of collecting only from the reefs itself.

The fishermen of Penuktukan, Tejakula and Yeh Biu installing a one meter-long artificial substrates. So far there are over 30 artificial substrates were put in 3 to 5 meter depth of these 3 villages. In order to accelerate the regrowth of coral cover, transplanted corals are attached to each a meter-long artificial substrates.

Another initiative is to install “hexadomes”. The substrates and domes provide a large surface area on which corals and other organisms can settle and grow. They also form a three-dimensional landscape on the previously bare reef flat, and immediately become refuges for large numbers of fish. The substrates and domes will last for many years- long enough for the natural reef to become well- established again. The fishermen groups in Penuktukan, Taman Sari and Yeh Biu have installed 22 hexadomes.

The fishermen group of Penuktukan plans to rehabilitate their damage reefs with the purpose of adding more their reefs area that they would like to develop as a community reef ecotourism. The fringing reefs of Penuktukan consist of channels and walls that are rich with variety of hard corals, sponges and reef fishes. This undamaged reef has been proposed as Sanctuary zone or No take areas by the community of Penuktukan.

After years of watching their reefs destroyed, the fishermen groups of Buleleng district recognize the benefits of reef rehabilitation. The benefits include protection of the beach from storm surges, and a ready source of food- and ornamental fish, so the fishermen will no longer need to journey far from the village to catch fish. The submerged structures will also provide opportunities for tourists to come and snorkel there.

It is LINI’s hope to be able to continue assisting coastal communities of Buleleng who sincerely want to make a changes in their environment. LINI scientists and the fishermen groups have been monitoring and carefully record the progress of reef rehabilitations in these villages.

LINI’s target is adding more of artificial reefs for reef restoration along Bali’s north coast within the next 5 years. It hopes to be able to install at least 100 structures at each site.

If you are interested in helping LINI to help the fishermen, please contact us, The cost of each a meter-long artificial substrates is US$ 20. In 10 substrates one could possibly observe over 20 variety of reef fishes.