BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Ocean Week Brunei achieved another significant milestone in marine conservation with the second edition of ‘Big Blue Hope – Planting Corals, Building Reefs’. The initiative shattered the national record for the most corals planted in a single day.
Recently a fleet of nine boats from the Department of Fisheries, Fire and Rescue Department and Poni Divers departed from a jetty in Serasa for a large-scale coral planting mission at Pelong Rocks. With 67 participants, including 32 divers and 18 snorkelers, the event facilitated the planting of 310 corals, surpassing last year’s record of 210.
Crown Princess Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Sarah Salleh Ab Rahaman and her daugther Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah both participated in the coral planting and the dive, each planting several corals. This highlighted the national support for marine conservation.
Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Michael Hoy was present as representative of one of the event’s sponsors.
This year’s event also welcomed international guests Nick LaValle and Zac McMillan from Canada and Dr Sol Milne from United Kingdom, who also took part as invited speakers from the recently concluded Ocean Week Brunei’s Ocean Sustainability Conference and Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) Forest to Reef Conference.
Chief executive officer of Poni Divers and founder of Poni Foundation Mohd Tahsin Wong Abdullah reflecting on the achievement, stated, “This event is about action and collaboration. Breaking our own record is a testament to the collective spirit of Brunei. We want our youth and local communities to be directly involved in meaningful ocean conservation work and gain the skills to drive future impact.”
The day began with an introduction to coral ecology and a coral planting demonstration. Teams then headed to the site where corals were planted onto coral plugs onboard, then transported underwater and planted onto reef balls. A total of 54 reef balls were used as a substrate for the coral planting efforts.
Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MPRT Mohd Yusree Junaidi and representatives from the Brunei Climate Change Office and sponsors were also present at the opening. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
