A talk on marine conservation and Brunei Reef Ball Programme at Sayyidina Ali Secondary School in Kuala Belait on Thursday, saw some 160 students from Years 9 and 10 attending a talk on coral reefs, threats and solutions with a focus on artificial reefs.
The students learnt about reef balls’ roles in enhancing fisheries, protecting beaches from erosion, increasing turtle population and rehabilitating mangroves with proven success in the last 30 years.
This is part of SC Tubular Solutions (B) Sdn Bhd’s (SCTSB) School Programme that will see Poni Divers and Poni Foundation holding eight talks to teach 42 SCTSB staff and 126 students how to fabricate reef balls, plant corals and deploy them to the open sea at Pelong Rock with support from the Department of Fisheries.
Some 100 reef balls, each weighing about 20 kilogrammes with six corals, will be deployed over the next six months.
Principal Steven Shim Sheau Huei spoke about global warming, climate change and the impact it has on daily lives.
Poni Divers Chief Executive Officer and Poni Foundation founder Mohd Tahsin Wong bin Abdullah gave a presentation highlighting the importance of the oceans and coral reefs as well as the significance of taking action now.
The Brunei Reef Ball Programme partners with the Florida-based Reef Ball Foundation which has deployed over two million reef balls in 80 countries, including a project in Sarawak that saw the creation of the world’s longest reef ball barrier.
The Brunei Reef Ball Programme was launched on July 20, 2023 to support Brunei’s marine conservation initiatives. It also supports the Sultanate’s climate change response initiatives.
A two-part documentary series by Radio Television Brunei on local coral reefs and the Brunei Reef Ball Programme will be unveiled in conjunction with Ocean Week Brunei, June 1-9.
Ocean Week Brunei, organised by Poni Divers and the Department of Fisheries, aims to educate and inspire future ocean guardians in conjunction with World Oceans Day on June 8. – Daniel Lim
