The 7th Indonesian Biorock ® Coral Reef Restoration, Fisheries Habitat Restoration and Shore Protection Training Workshop was held on Gili Trawangan, Lombok, from 15-21 November 2010.

The Vice Governor of Lombok opened the workshop, along with Pak Agung Prana, Balinese ecotourism pioneer. The Governor sent the head of the Regional Planning Agency, (BAPEDA), to discuss future developments as well as the Bupati (Regent) from North Lombok.

More than 80 people participated in the Workshop, including a wide range of divers, students, conservationists, scientists, engineers, artists, doctors, and lawyers.

The majority of participants were from Indonesia and included more than 20 students in Marine Science, Biology, and Forestry from Mataram University in Lombok, all of whom were trained as divers for the workshop and are planning Biorock related research projects.

Indonesian people from Gili Trawangan came along to learn about the technology they have seen being installed around their island for the past 5 years: people from the Youth Association “Remaja Karang Taruna”, teachers from the local primary school, SATGAS (ocean security), students and teachers from the Gili Trawangan high school of tourism and the Kadus and Kades (Heads of the village and of the three Gili islands).

Besides Indonesia, participants came from many parts of Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, State of Qatar, China, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Students learned all aspects of Biorock® Technology theory and practice, including the fundamental physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and biology; along with hands-on training in design, construction, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and repair. They saw documentary films and heard lectures on the latest developments in marine ecosystem restoration.

More than 16 new Biorock ® reefs were designed, built, installed, and planted with corals by the students, bringing the total of Biorock reefs at Gili Trawangan up to nearly 60. These are located in front of every dive shop and many of the restaurants and hotels in Indonesia’s major dive attraction. The projects at Gili Trawangan now rival the Karang Lestari Biorock project in Pemuteran, Bali as the world’s largest and most spectacularly successful coral reef restoration project.

The Biorock® method was invented, developed and patented by the late Proffessor Wolf Hilbertz and Dr Thomas Goreau and uses low voltage electrical currents to grow solid limestone minerals on conductive surfaces.

The method being used in the Gilis involves welded steel frames submerged at varying depths in the ocean, through which a small electrical charge is run, generating mineral growth on the frames. These solid surfaces then become the framework, or artificial reefs, on which corals can anchor and grow into proper reefs.

Biorock ® is the only method that increases coral growth rate and resistance to environmental stress, so Biorock ® reef corals bleach less, recover faster, and have higher survival rates from global warming-caused by rising water temperatures. This course came at a very critical juncture, because 2010 has been the hottest year in history, and severe coral bleaching took place across the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the West Pacific, the Persian Gulf, and the Caribbean this year, and including Lombok.

Water temperatures throughout Indonesia, and many of the most important coral reefs in the world now remain several degrees warmer than average, and will start to bleach in the next few months if this weather pattern continues. If it is as severe as is expected, only places with Biorock Coral Arks will have much coral, fish, and beaches left, afterwards.

Biorock ® graduates are now trained to restore coral reefs and fisheries, and reclaim severely eroding beaches. They can apply these skills as soon as local communities, government policy makers, and international funding agencies recognize the critically urgent need to restore rapidly vanishing coral reefs and the fisheries, create shore protection, and protect tourism, and the biodiversity services they provide to over 100 countries, before they vanish.

Only those with proper Biorock ® training have the knowledge and skills to implement new projects, and will receive full support with advice, advanced training, and the materials needed to start new projects designed to save marine ecosystems from the runaway effects of global warming, global rising sea levels, and unsustainable over-exploitation of the world’s coral reefs.

The Gili Eco Trust, with the support of the business community on Gili Trawangan and local government agencies, shows how westerners and local communities can work together to preserve and rehabilitate the coral reefs around the Gili islands; leading to a sustainable future for everyone.

For information on other Gili Eco Trust projects, or to make a donation, visit - www.giliecotrust.com.

The Fun Day Sunday hosted by the Gili Trawangan Development Association on 18 July 2010 raised over Rp 25,000,000 in funds for the local school, while providing a fun day out for everyone involved. Over 300 children and adults took part in everything from traditional sack races, sand-castle building competitions, the very popular “sponge the boss” game, and a Tacro Tournament. Everyone was entertained by a live band playing on the white sand beach, a beverage bar and delicious food supplied by all the local restaurants.

All hands were on deck for the event with local businesses donating raffle prizes, refreshments, beach games and their time to host the Fun Day for everyone. Lucky participants won generous prizes such as luxury villa stays, fast boat tickets, complimentary meals at Gili Trawangan restaurants and free dives.

The SD-SMP Gili Trawangan (the local school on Gili T) has already presented the Gili Trawangan Development Association with a “wish list” for the school which includes fans, new desks for the students and playground equipment. Funds raised from this initial Fun Day are being used to purchase new fans for the classrooms and water coolers and dispensers for the students. Desks are being manufactured and will be supplied for teachers and students in the near future.

This wonderful event was followed by the Gili Trawangan Charity Triathlon when, for his birthday on Monday 11 October, Manta Dive instructor, Shaun Terry, wanted to compete in a friendly Triathlon. As the idea started to take shape and grow, Shaun decided to make the event a fundraiser for the local community. With the help of all the other dive centres and local businesses, a huge day was pulled together and over Rp 40,000,000 was raised.

The Triathlon started with an Olympic-level swim from the beach in front of Trawangan Dive, where over eighty people, including locals and tourists, tested their strength and fitness against some of the Gili island’s fittest and fastest. The second leg of the Triathlon comprised a bike ride from Trawangan Dive to The Beach House, followed by a very competitive run around the island.

Mike Board from Gili Free Dive & Yoga came in first in the Individual category with an amazing time of 53 minutes, just ahead of Shaun from Manta Dive.

In the Team category, the SMK Tourism High School Team came in first, ahead of the Blue Marlin Dive Team, winning the event in just 55 minutes.

Andy Whitecroft, from Manta Dive, won the Individual Handicap, ahead of Graham from Kelapa Villas; while the girls put on a magnificent performance with Delphine Robbe from the Gili Eco Trust  clocking the fastest female time, just minutes ahead of Vanessa Lill from Blue Marlin Dive.

After the Triathlon, everyone joined in at a special charity BBQ and Buffet at The Beach House, before moving on to Blue Marlin Dive for a huge after-party where the raffle was drawn!

Funds raised by the Triathlon are being donated to the SMK Pariwisata (Tourism School), a special branch of the local school that was opened last year to allow the older children to stay on the island for higher education, specialising in training in the tourism industry. The generous sum raised by the community event will go a long way toward developing the new school, with the aim of bringing equipment and facilities up to national standards.

The Gili Trawangan community is committed to supporting the local environment and community and is really setting the standard in Lombok; working with local communities for effective and sustainable development on the island.

Lets see if the government can match the donation or help with the maintainence of the school and all the new projects started by the Gili Eco Trust and the Gili Trawangan Development Association.