THE CONSERVATION COURSE PROGRAM

Tramena Dive Center has an innovative program to restore the Gili islands’ reefs. We welcome gap-year students and those looking for thesis or dissertation topics; those on career breaks or anyone wanting an interesting and worthwhile holiday activity.

Certain areas of shallow water corals around the Gili Islands have suffered damage by combinations of coral heatstroke, disease, land-based sewage, global sea level rising, over-fishing and direct physical damage. Restoration of degraded reefs and coastal habitats on a scale that makes a difference must be an active environmental priority and not an afterthought.

A revolutionary new technology called Biorock can make this possible. The Biorock Process involves a submerged steel structure that receives a safe low-voltage electrical current. Small pieces of live broken coral are then strapped to the structure and have been shown to grow at 3-5 times the normal rate while coral survival under higher water temperatures and pollution increased by 16 to 50 times.