Biorock Project In The Gilis Islands Lombok ( Gili Trawangan, Meno and Air )

The three Gili islands are located of the northwest coast of Lombok, a little over 37 miles (60km) from Padangbai harbour in Bali, and  20 miles from the most easterly cape of Bali.

They were first discovered by back-packers in the 1970’s, and soon became a popular if not well-kept secret among an adventurous crowd seeking to escape to an island paradise, and as far from the madding crowds of Kuta and Bali as possible. Here the waters are crystal clear and teeming with marine life, and the beaches pure white sand where you can snorkel straight off the beach. Til this day, many would say that the Gilis are the best place in Indonesia to enjoy an island lifestyle.

Although the first to develop homestays was Gili Air (the nearest island to Lombok), it is Gili Trawangan that subsequently became known as the ‘party island’ where a young, adventurous European crowd had way too much fun far away from home. Simple bungalows with generator supplied electricity soon proliferated catering to a crowd eager to get off the beaten track.

In recent years the scene has changed rapidly on Gili Trawangan, whereas Gili Meno and Gili Air are developing at a far slower pace. Trawangan still maintains its timeless tropical paradise charm, but now has a wider range of facilities and caters to a broader spectrum of travellers. There’s still plenty of back-packer rooms priced around US$10 / night, but there are also some very chic bungalows, villas and hotels complete with private swimming pools and all mod cons. All have been constructed in harmony with the islands’ local charms – natural materials and simple elegance being the dominant theme of most developments. There are no high rise hotels, and definitely no tour buses or McDonald’s, but rather plenty of Dive Centres to help you explore the islands’ famous coral reefs.

The Gili Islands are today the site of a fascinating experiment in sea scaping, one perhaps unique in the world. Gili Trawanan has become the defacto world center of the coral reef regeneration known as Biorock, the name patented by its discoverers, Dr Wolf Hilbertz and Dr Tom Goreau. Biorock first came to the Gilis in 2003 via Pemuteran in N Bali under the sponsorship of Vila Ombak Dive Academy. These first “electric reefs’ inspired many local dive centers to follow suit and with the support of PADI, hotels and local business, resulted in a series of Biorock Workshops in 2006 and 2008 which were also the focus of two international documentary movies.

Biorock technology is tantalizingly simple – a giant saltwater electrolytic cell is created by passing a 10 watt current thru an anode coated with exotic elements, and a steel frame cathode. The resultant electrical field “accretes” calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide – the building materials of coral – onto the steel cathode. Viola !! Instant reef!! Tom Goreau understood the exciting possibilities offered, and further experiments showed that the “free metabolic energy” from the electrical field allowed coral to grow up to six times faster than normal expectation.

While aid organizations and scientists may be sceptical, divers see the incredible results and   embrace Biorock enthusiastically, sometimes to the point of messianic zeal. Delphine Robbe, the current head of the Gili EcoTrust is one such believer. In 1998 the reefs of the Gilis and North Bali suffered the fate of all coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans – widespread coral bleaching due to El Nino. Delphine’s life-long mission is to restore the Gili reefs back to their former glory. She has attended four Biorock Workshops, the last of which she organized entirely by herself.

What makes the Gilis so special as regards Biorock is this on-going enthusiasm. Biorock has prospered here and is collaborative like a Linux operating system, with a different Gili dive center stepping in to expand it: VODA for developing a PADI Speciality course; Manta for funding and logistic support; Big Bubble for training and organization; Karma Kayak for shore erosion control. All seven Gili dive centers collect a “reef tax” from divers which is paid to the Gili EcoTrust and used for marine conservation. Biorock has been adopted by the local community as well – Pak Taufik, the current “mayor” of the Gilis, is a keen diver and attached broken coral onto the first structures at Hotel Vila Ombak!!

To date the Gili Ecotrust has overseen the installation of 1.5 kilometers of coral reef in the Gilis. Reef engineering is a lifetime’s work and the progress on the Gilis will intrigue  both new and returning visitors for many years to come.

Source: gilicat.com

Posted in: Beach,Gili,Tourism,Travelling