Underwater Earth Day for Students

Ni Made Pande received a standing ovation from the audience after delivering an inspiring and eloquent speech on the importance of preserving coral reefs at a speech contest held to commemorate Earth Day.

Pande spoke about the coral reefs in Nusa Penida waters, in Klungkung regency, some 25 kilometers east of Denpasar or an hour of boat ride.

"If we throw rubbish into the sea and fish destructively, our underwater lives will be in danger," she told the audience with an emotional tone.

"Will we let our future generation become parasites, begging people for jobs?"
Pande was one of the participants in a speech contest for senior high school students jointly organized by The Nature Conservancy-Coral Triangle Center (TNC-CTC) and Satya Posana Nusa (SPN).

The event was held in conjunction with the commemoration of Earth Day in Nusa Lembongan islet on Wednesday.

A heaven for divers, the 1,800 hectare Nusa Penida area encompasses three islets - Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida.

It is home to nearly 250 rare species of coral and more than 550 species of reef fish.
The TNC is currently working on a project aimed at conserving the marine area around the islets.

Kasriyati, a participant from SMA 1 Nusa Penida High School emphasized the need to establish a marine conservation area and criticized the poor management of marine and underwater tourism around the three islets of Nusa Penida.

"We need to improve inefficient management of the current marine tourism activities," she said.
"There are too many boats operating in the islets. Their anchors often knock the coral reefs and seriously damaged them."

The speech indeed worked well to arouse the awareness of school students of the importance of marine conservation efforts in an attempt to maintain the marine ecosystem of Nusa Penida.
The teenage audience looked attentive as they listened to the participants.

Some 100 students from elementary to high schools gathered in the Nusa Lembongan in the morning to participate in a beach cleaning campaign, as part the Earth Day commemorative program.

They were later divided into two groups to enjoy underwater scenery aboard a submarine boat and a from a wide pontoon with glass sides, courtesy of Bali Hai Cruises.

After looking patiently, the elementary school students happily clapped and whistled upon seeing a group of small fish with yellow and black strips swim gracefully across the glass window.
It did not take long before they hurriedly jumped from one window to the other every time someone shouted about seeing an interesting species, such as Porites coral.

"This is my first experience *looking underwater* and I am so happy!" nine-year-old student Nur Jaya Ardiana said.

Although the students live on Nusa Penida, they are rarely exposed to the beauty of its underwater life. The trip was a luxury for many of them, who cannot afford the price of a retail ticket.

Ayu Kusuma, 16, said she was lucky she could join the trip because her father never let her dive to see the area's coral reef or famous Mola-mola fish.

Renata Chandler, the wife of the owner of Bali Hai Cruises, said she was so glad being part of the Earth Day program.

"It was part of the company's platform to give back to the community," she said buoyantly.

source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/04/23/underwater-earth-day-students.html