August 16, 2019, Sanur, Bali — Hands-on learning is a great tool to use to inspire people to save our environment. This month, the CTC Center for Marine Conservation received a group of five students who had recently graduated from high school in Switzerland. They came to Bali to learn about the environment and marine conservation. In collaboration with CTC, the group had the chance to experience our Escape Room βSOS from the Deepβ and also had a fun learning trip to Nusa Lembongan.
These students had an exciting experience as underwater explorers who were working in a team to crack codes and find solutions to protect marine ecosystems through our Escape Room. Through this game, the students were able to develop a better understanding of the threats facing coral reefs. This game helped them to understand the oceanβs current condition and what they can do to contribute to saving it. This gave them background knowledge for their field trip to Nusa Lembongan.
During the field trip, the students were given a short introduction on the basics of marine ecosystems, before they started their fun learning trip in Nusa Lembongan. The students also learned about marine protected areas, in particular the Nusa Penida site, during an introductory presentation.
The trip started with a visit to Nusa Lembongan Waste Management Center. In Nusa Lembongan, the waste management issue is being tackled by multiple people and organizations. The students mentioned that it was interesting for them to learn about how waste in such a small island as Nusa Lembongan is managed, and how it differs from the waste management systems back in their country. The community running the waste management center showed the students how they are fighting the waste issue in Nusa Lembongan, the process of waste separation, and recycling the waste.
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Together with Satya Posana Nusa (SPN), a local environmental awareness group, the students participated in mangrove planting and coral transplantation. During the mangrove trip, the students learned about choosing the best seeds and how to plant the mangrove seedlings. The mangrove planting was then followed by the Adopt-a-Coral program. The students were able to plant their baby coral directly in the nursery while snorkeling around the coral garden in Nusa Lembongan, guided by SPN. These activities provided a hands-on educational tool for them to understand mangrove and coral reef ecosystems
