Our Continued Work with LINI - 2016 Update
On 16th October 2016 another Maidenhead Aquatics team made the fourth trip to LINI’s Aquaculture and Training Centre at Les Village in Northern Bali. The purpose of the trip was for the group to see how our fundraising efforts are making a difference to the LINI centre and their community.
In partnership with our aquatic importers, we have been supporting the organisation for a number of years. However, this year we have been specifically donating funds through the purchase of fish boxes from the local export company and placing counter-top donation boxes in many of our stores. All in all, along with our customer’s generous contributions we have given LINI an impressive £5200 during the past 12 months!
LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre is headed by Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley, who founded the organisation and continues to be the driving force behind their work. Gayatri is a pioneer in marine conservation and sustainable fisheries work in Indonesia, with a long history of working with various international, local organisations and the Indonesian government. A very passionate and hardworking team has been put together at LINI, with the mission of working with Indonesian coastal communities to help reverse the degradation of Indonesian coral reefs and to raise awareness within the communities about responsible and sustainable fishing practices.
Our latest donations have enabled the LINI team to construct and deploy 42 artificial reef structures, covering an area of 500m². The area of reef restoration sites has been expanded significantly throughout 2016 and our ongoing support means that the team can continue to restore the damaged reef and to transplant more corals. All of the structures we have funded have been deployed in one area, so we are helping to restore/create our very own section of living reef in Bali!
Fish domes provide a large surface area on which corals and other organisms can settle and grow. They form a three-dimensional landscape on the previously bare reef floor and very soon become homes/shelters for large numbers of fish and other sea creatures. The one meter long leaf like structures serves as a hard surface for new corals settlements. Although corals will naturally settle and grow on these ‘leaves’ and domes, additional transplanted corals are attached to them in order to further accelerate the overall regrowth of coral cover. Some of these corals are donated by our Bali cultured coral supplier. The structures and domes will last for many years, long enough for the natural reef to become well established once more.
Aquaculture and Teacher Training:
Our donations have also enabled the LINI team to train two women from Les village in the basics of marine conservation. LINI plan to run marine education classes for school children in the centre, and the two women from the village will also be trained to help with the educational activities held at the LACT. Working with the women from the local village and providing them training in practical aquaculture skills has been a key achievement of LINI. Gayatri says that empowering the local women in this way is particularly rewarding. The women, who are wives of fishermen, are taught how to care for the fish at the facility including feeding, testing the water quality in the aquariums and ponds and cleaning the filters. All of these skills are taught to the women by LINI’s trainers, who are also women from Les village who have previously received training.
Communal Garden at the LATC:
An organic communal vegetable garden has also been created at the training centre. This has been done to provide the villagers with a variety of fresh vegetables, including many varieties that they had never seen before and to supply the LATC with fresh produce for the LINI team and their visitors.
The garden is tended to by local fishermen who are no longer able to fish due to age or ill health. The retired fishermen are paid monthly for working part-time in the garden, and all workers are free to take the vegetables home for their families.
Making a Difference:
With our support LINI is making a tangible difference to coastal Indonesian villagers and their livelihoods, especially those at Les village.
As well as the fantastic reef restoration work being carried out by LINI, Gayatri and her team are:
And by supporting our stores, you are in turn playing a major part in helping this fantastic work - Thank you!
