Plantation Island Resort restores reefs
The board of Plantation Island Resort in the Mamanucas, has hired two marine biologists as permanent employees in a bid to conserve the environment.
This is also the resort’s contribution to maintaining a sustainable environment.
The two young biologists were brought from the University of the South Pacific to become professional coral gardeners.
The message from the resort’s general manager Alex Wilson was simple - No Reefs, No Island Resorts.
The resort started its coral planting initiatives 18 months ago aligned with the board’s staff outlook to live, work and enjoy.
PIR partnered with Austin Bowdeb Kerby, a Marine Scientist/Biologist who is now often referred to as “the grandfather of the corals”.
Mr Kerby and PIR partnered to create and extend the current model of Coral Planting & Gardening to become a training site for coral reef restoration and adaptation for Fiji. Mr Wilson said the resort had run multiple training sessions in coral gardening for climate change adaptation in 2018.
“So training of 12 USP Marine Studies students to become professional Coral Gardeners is being carried out.”
“The resort has hired two of these young marine biologists as full-time staff and they are working with Dr Kerby to expand and develop the work.”
Mr Wilson said this would include a major guest educational and activity program thus allowing guests, under the supervision of the biologists to participate actively in the coral restoration programme. THINGS TO DO DURING THE CORAL RESTORATION PROGRAMME: “The goal of the programme is to help the coral reefs around the island adapt to increasing sea temperatures, by finding and propagating bleaching resistant ‘super’ corals, and encouraging them to reproduce and spread in the environment. “With resorts hiring trained and competent coral gardeners, a major positive impact can be made on helping coral reefs adapt and thrive in a changing climate.
“The tourism industry has the most to lose from coral reef decline, and thus the most to gain from its preservation.
“The coral gardening programme is sustainable and our Company’s commitment in climate change adaptation for coral reefs is for our communities, our visitors and our guests who can learn, engage and enjoy in years to come,” Mr Wilson said.