INDONESIAN NAVY SURVEYS CORAL REEFS IN TULUNGAGUNG, E JAVA

Tulungagung, E.Java, May 27 (Antara) - The Indonesian Navy team is conducting a survey of the coral reefs on Sine Beach located in Tulungagung, East Java Province, team coordinator Major Mohammad Asad stated here on Tuesday. The team has conducted diving operations up to a depth of 500 meters below sea level to study the various types of coral reefs. "In addition to identifying the coral reefs, we are also mapping out the areas for coral reef conservation in the southern part of Tulungagung coastal areas," he reported. According to Asad, the survey will be progressively conducted in the offshore areas of Sine Beach, which spans an area of approximately seven hectares. He remarked that the marines will undertake an artificial coral reef conservation program by involving the entire community of Tulungagung in mid-August 2015. "The program will be carried out progressively by cultivating and planting the coral reefs at coastal base points that have been determined," he explained. The cultivation of coral reefs will involve marines, environmentalists, tourism offices, students, non-governmental organizations, fishermen, and the coastal communities. The coral reef conservation program by the Navy is called, "Save Our Littoral Life in 2015." "Indonesia's coral reefs are part of the world's coral triangle along with Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Hence, it is our duty to preserve the coral reefs, which is home to 18 percent of the world's coral reefs," Major Asad pointed out. According to the Indonesian Science Institution (LIPI), of the 85.2 thousand square kilometers of coral reefs in Indonesia's maritime territory, approximately 31 percent are in a severely damaged state. The remaining, approximately 28.78 square kilometers, are still in good and very good condition. "We want to recover Indonesia's coral reef ecosystems as part of the government's strategy program to make the country as the world's maritime axis," Asad emphaszied. He added that the program to plant coral reefs is aimed to transform Sine Beach into a natural coral reef biodiversity laboratory.