Reef Protection and Coral Planting

Aim

Please help us raise the money we need to protect and revive some of the most important and biodiverse coral reef ecosystems in the world!

Welcome to SORCE!

WHO WE ARE:

SORCE – the Sustainable Oceanic Research, Conservation & Education Centre was founded in 2016 by three like-minded individuals wanting to make a difference to the natural world. In 2018 we became officially registered as a UK Community Interest Company. SORCE is an initiative providing a climate for ecological awareness within local communities and with international volunteers. Through its projects, SORCE seeks to find sustainable ways to both restore and conserve biological hotspots with the support of local communities. International volunteers aid in all aspects of our work including the scientific research, which is at the core of everything we do. It is an essential tool that directs and drives forwards our conservation work.

SORCE is a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) meaning that all of the work we do is not for profit. Since we operate as a non-profit organisation all of the money received through fundraising, donations, grants and commercial activity is funnelled back into our initiatives. This means that we are able to make the biggest impact possible with the resources we have at our disposal.

WHY IT MATTERS:

We are based in the Archipelago of Indonesia within the Coral Triangle which is one of the worlds most critical biodiversity hotspots. As a marine conservation group our primary objectives focus around the research, conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems. There are 798 species of corals found worldwide, 76% of which are found in the coral triangle. However, these biological hotspots cover less than 0.02% of the ocean despite holding 25% of its fish biodiversity. The coral triangle supports over 100 million people directly, most deriving a large proportion of their animal protein from the reefs and reef fishes within the coral triangle valued at $3 billion USD. Yet despite the importance of these ecosystems it is estimated that over 50% of reefs worldwide are threatened. Of the 22 species of corals listed as threatened or endangered, 15 species are found in the coral triangle, 3 of which are endemic meaning that they are found in no other locations throughout the world. This biological hotspot therefore holds significant importance for both global biodiversity and food security, making it an ideal place for our long term coral conservation, restoration and research facility.

THIS PROJECT:

In September 2018 we will be out on Gili Bidara off of the coast of Lombok in Indonesia, hosting a coral reef protection weekend.  This project will act as the official launch of SORCE and provide a foundation for continued collaborations and expanding projects in the future.

During this first project we will meet together with students and academics from Mataram University, members of Pokmaswas Petrando (a local grassroots conservation organisation), and representatives from the Lombok fisheries department, in order to encourage local participation and collaboration in the protection of these beautiful and crucial ecosystems. Together we plan to create and install several concrete mooring blocks around the island to prevent the many regularly visiting boats from dropping their anchors and destroying the delicate life forms living beneath. The mooring blocks provide an alternative to allow boats to moor up and visit the island without causing damage to the surrounding environment. 

Due to their design these blocks can then form a platform out from which corals can be planted. This allows us to not only prevent further damage to the reef but also restore and reverse the destruction that has been caused in the past. Initially this will be done by transplanting corals grown by Pokmaswas Petrando and in future this can be expanded and built upon with corals grown specifically for this purpose in our own coral nurseries. 

Finally we will be discussing the current plastics crisis - with Indonesia as a whole having been calculated as the second largest contributor to plastic waste in the world. Together we will conduct a large scale plastic clean up from both the reef and the beach so as to prevent these materials from continuing to be a threat to the marine life found here. 

PLEASE HELP:

It is our belief that if we are to minimise, or better still reverse, the negative effects that we are having on the amazing organisms and ecosystems that we share the Earth with, this will only be achieved by research, understanding and education.

Mankind has known the impacts of its actions and yet failed to do something for far too long. It is time we came together to change that.

We refuse to let ours be the generation that fails to act. We can deny the truth but we can not avoid it, and if we keep making excuses to do nothing then we will very soon be facing a reality where too much destruction has been caused for us to recover.

So ask yourself: How many ecosystems must collapse? How many species must go extinct, so that our children never get to admire or befriend them? How long can we pretend that our ‘progress’ is without consequence?

It’s still not too late.

This Earth is our home and we have a responsibility and an obligation to take care of it – not just for the species we share it with, but for ourselves and our future generations. We do not have to accept the outcome we are heading towards.

With your help we can and will find the answers we desperately need.

This project successfully funded on 27th July 2018