PT TIMAH Tbk : Coral Garden, PT Timah Tbk's Efforts to Protect

Coral Garden, PT Timah Tbk's Efforts to Protect Coral Reef Ecosystems and Support Underwater Tourism

• 26 January 2023

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PANGKALPINANG -- Coral reef ecosystems have an important role as a place for spawning, nurturing, and looking for food for marine biota. In addition, coral reefs also function as tourist attractions and coastal protection.

To protect the coral reef ecosystem in the company's operational area, PT Timah Tbk implements the Coral Garden program. In 2022 PT Timah Tbk implemented the Coral Garden program in two areas namely Putri Island, Belinyu District, Bangka Regency, and Deniang Village, Riau Silip District, Bangka Regency.

The Coral Garden program carried out by members of the Mining Industry Holding, MIND ID is the company's commitment to maintaining a sustainable marine ecosystem through planting coral reefs. It also supports underwater tourism.

In addition, Coral Garden is also part of the company's sustainable environmental management program for coral and marine biota conservation.

This TINS-coded issuer also involves community groups, academics, students, and fishermen in implementing the Coral Garden program. In Deniang Village, PT Timah Tbk is collaborating with KUB Bina Sejahtera Bersama and in Pulau Putri, PT Timah Tbk is collaborating with the Sinar Penyusuk Group to implement this program.

Marine Science Lecturer at the University of Bangka Belitung, Indra Ambalika Syari said the coral garden program being carried out by PT Timah could be an underwater tourist attraction.

He mentioned that in the first stage of submerging the coral garden, the success rate reached 85 percent. For this reason, his party replaced the damaged corals so that they remain beautiful to support underwater tourist attractions.

"For this activity, of course, monitoring activities will also be carried out, with the aim that the corals that we have planted can grow and develop. And if someone dies, it will be replaced with a new one," he said.

He considered that the sinking of the coral garden by PT Timah Tbk was an effort to protect the marine ecosystem. In addition, it also has an impact on encouraging the tourism and fisheries sectors in the region.

"The sector that is built is not only the mining sector but various sectors such as fisheries, and tourism that can be developed. This means that the mining sector can become a generator, or a trigger to develop other sectors," said Indra.

One of the fishermen involved in the coral garden activity, Supriyanto (50) who is a member of the Sinar Penyusuk Group, said he felt the benefits of this program because it could provide new jobs to increase income.

Supriyanto said he sometimes turns to escort tourists visiting Putri Island.

"With a program like this we hope to increase tourist visits to Pulau Putri because, with a program like this, it certainly adds spots for tourists to snorkel," he said.

He hopes that the coral garden program can continue so that with more and more types and forms of coral, it will certainly become an attractive spot for tourists.

"In addition, we fishermen can make this a side job when we are not at sea," said Supriyanto.

He said they were invited to be involved from the process of making, and sinking, to monitoring so that they could gain experience and new knowledge in carrying out coral transplants.

"This program is good because of course for coral growth, of course, this will also increase income for the local community, because this activity will attract tourists to visit Putri Island," he said.

In the same vein, the Head of KUB Bina Sejahtera Bersama Fishermen, Juliadi, said they enthusiastically welcomed the sinking of the coral garden. The reason is, there is a lot of potentials that can be developed from Coral Garden activities.

"We are very optimistic that with the existence of the Coral Garden the tourism sector will increase because it is a shallow spot, if you want to snorkel it can be done with makeshift tools and the distance is not too far," he said.

Moreover, he said the underwater scenery in the area is very beautiful, in the area, there is a wide diversity of coral reefs with different types and colors. Coupled with the existence of Nemo fish.

He hopes that this program can become a new tourist destination for the community, besides that it can also be used for fishermen to find fish.

"So far we have only drowned FADs, but for the coral garden itself there has never been and this is the first time we have done it with PT Timah. Hopefully, this will be a superior spot from various aspects. Apart from being a tourist destination, it can also be used to find fish, as long as it doesn't disturb the coral reefs," he said.

In the future, he hopes that activities like this can continue so that they can provide added value to fishermen groups besides fishing also developing tourism. (*)