Marine Protected Area

When people hear the words Marine Protected Area, they naturally think about what lies beneath the surface: coral reefs, turtles, fish, sharks, seagrass and other marine life.

But the ocean does not begin at the shoreline.

Everything happening on a small island like Gili Air can eventually affect the surrounding sea. What we build on the beach, how we manage wastewater, where we place septic systems, how we alter the coastline, how we transport construction materials and whether we respect development regulations can all have consequences underwater.

This is why Oceans 5 Gili Air believes marine conservation cannot be limited to coral restoration, beach clean-ups and underwater projects.

Sometimes conservation means speaking about what is happening on land.

And sometimes that makes people uncomfortable.

Gili Air Is Part of One Ecosystem

Gili Air is surrounded by the Gili Matra Marine Tourism Park, a nationally protected marine area that includes Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.[1]

It is easy to imagine a line separating the protected ocean from the developed island.

Nature does not recognize that line.

Rainwater runs from land toward the sea. Groundwater interacts with the coastal environment. Wastewater can introduce nutrients and contaminants. Sediment from construction can enter the ocean. Coastal structures can change the movement of sand. Removing natural beach areas can affect wildlife that depends on them.

The reef, beach and island are interconnected.

Protecting one while ignoring what happens to the others is therefore a fundamentally incomplete approach to conservation.

Why Oceans 5 Speaks About Overdevelopment

Oceans 5 Gili Air has increasingly spoken publicly about overdevelopment on Gili Air.

We understand that this can be controversial.

We are also a tourism business. We operate a dive resort. We benefit from visitors coming to Gili Air. Development itself is not the enemy.

The question is how we develop.

There are regulations governing development, coastal areas and protected areas for a reason. When those rules are ignored, the consequences do not necessarily remain inside the property where the construction takes place.

A building can belong to one business.

A beach wall can protect one property.

A boat channel can provide access to one development.

But the environmental consequences can become everybody’s problem.

And eventually they can become the marine park’s problem.

A Beach Wall Doesn’t End at the Wall

Imagine a beachfront business worried about erosion.

Building a seawall can seem like the obvious solution: put a hard structure between the property and the ocean.

But beaches are dynamic systems.

Sand naturally moves along coastlines. Waves, currents, storms and seasonal conditions constantly reshape the shore. Hard coastal structures can interrupt these processes and, depending on their design and location, may contribute to erosion elsewhere along the coastline.[2][3]

That creates an important question:

Are we protecting the beach, or are we protecting a building from the natural movement of the beach?

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

A business might continue serving cocktails safely behind its new wall.

But what happens twenty, fifty or one hundred metres farther along the coastline?

That question matters.

When Construction Materials Have to Cross a Coral Reef

There is another uncomfortable contradiction.

Imagine building a beachfront development and needing large quantities of construction material.

Boats bring the material to the island.

But there is coral between the boat and the beach.

So what happens?

A channel may be created or enlarged to allow boats to approach the shore.

Suddenly an activity taking place on land has required a physical alteration of the marine environment.

This illustrates exactly why Oceans 5 argues that marine conservation cannot stop at the waterline.

We cannot celebrate restoring a few square metres of damaged coral while accepting activities elsewhere that damage or remove reef habitat for easier access.

Prevention should come before restoration.

What Happens to the Sediment?

Construction can also create sediment.

Sand, soil, cement particles and other material can be transported toward the ocean through wind, rainfall, drainage and direct coastal activity.

Corals depend heavily on light and clean surrounding water. Elevated sedimentation can reduce available light, interfere with coral feeding and settlement, and physically stress or smother corals.[4]

The problem does not need to be dramatic enough to create a viral social-media video.

Environmental degradation can happen gradually.

A little more sediment.

A little more nutrient input.

A little less coral.

A little more algae.

A little less beach.

A little more construction.

Each individual change might appear insignificant.

Together, they can change an ecosystem.

And Then There Is Wastewater

Wastewater should be one of the biggest environmental conversations on any densely developed small island.

Hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, bars, dive centers, houses and other businesses all produce wastewater.

Where does it go?

This question becomes particularly important when septic systems or wastewater infrastructure are located extremely close to the coastline.

Research from tropical islands and coral-reef environments has demonstrated that groundwater can transport land-based nutrients and contaminants toward coastal waters.[5][6]

Excess nutrients can alter reef ecosystems and contribute to conditions favorable to algal growth.[7]

This does not mean that every patch of algae around Gili Air can automatically be blamed on a particular septic tank, hotel or restaurant. Environmental science does not work like that.

We need monitoring.

We need water-quality testing.

We need research.

We need evidence.

But the absence of completed research should not become an excuse for ignoring obvious environmental risks.

The Beach Is Habitat Too

There is another part of this discussion that is often forgotten.

Before a beach becomes valuable real estate, it is an ecosystem.

Sea turtles have used sandy tropical beaches as nesting habitat for millions of years.

Coastal development, artificial lighting, physical barriers and loss or alteration of suitable beach habitat can negatively affect nesting turtles and hatchlings.[8][9]

This makes the transformation of natural beaches particularly important.

Imagine sitting behind a beach wall, drinking a cocktail while watching the sunset.

It might look beautiful.

But what was there before the wall?

Was this once an open beach?

Could turtles once crawl above the high-water line?

Could they nest there?

Would they still be able to do so today?

Development changes more than the view.

Sometimes it changes what an ecosystem can do.

Conservation Cannot Only Be What Tourists Can See

Modern marine conservation has a strange problem.

Some conservation activities are extremely marketable.

Coral restoration photographs beautifully.

A diver attaching coral fragments makes great social-media content.

Turtle releases attract attention.

Beach clean-ups create impressive piles of collected rubbish.

All of these activities can have value when they are carried out responsibly.

But prevention is much harder to photograph.

There is no dramatic Instagram picture of pollution that didn’t happen.

Nobody takes a selfie beside the beach wall that wasn’t built.

There is no viral video of the coral channel that wasn’t dug.

There is no photograph of the turtle nesting beach that simply remained a beach.

And there is rarely a grant celebrating the building that followed the regulations from the beginning.

Yet these may be some of the most important conservation victories of all.

Prevention Doesn’t Always Make You Popular

This is also why Oceans 5 Gili Air opens its voice.

It would be much easier not to.

We could concentrate exclusively on diving.

We could take guests underwater, show them turtles, post beautiful reef photographs and say that we support conservation.

That would be comfortable.

But if we believe the health of the marine park is connected to what happens on Gili Air, remaining silent about development pressures would contradict that belief.

Speaking about illegal or inappropriate development, coastal construction, beach walls, wastewater management, channels through reef areas and protected-area regulations can create conflict with other stakeholders.

We understand that.

But conservation cannot mean speaking only when everybody agrees.

This Is Not About Being Against Business

Oceans 5 is a business.

We employ people.

We accommodate tourists.

We operate boats.

We use electricity and water.

We create waste.

We have an environmental footprint too.

So this discussion should not become about pointing fingers and pretending that one business is environmentally perfect while everybody else is the problem.

Nobody operating on Gili Air has zero impact.

The goal should be to reduce that impact collectively.

Businesses can make money while respecting environmental regulations.

Tourism can exist while beaches remain beaches.

Development can happen without every available metre becoming concrete.

And economic growth should not require sacrificing the natural assets that created Gili Air’s tourism economy in the first place.

The Reef Doesn’t Know Who Owns the Business

There is an important principle that should guide conservation in the Gili Matra Marine Park:

Environmental consequences don’t stop at property boundaries.

The coral does not know which hotel produced wastewater.

A turtle does not know who owns the wall blocking part of a beach.

A current does not care which business created sediment.

Sand does not recognize property certificates.

Fish do not understand tourism revenue.

Nature responds only to the physical changes we create.

That is why environmental responsibility has to be bigger than individual business interests.

Research Must Be Part of the Solution

Oceans 5 believes criticism alone is not enough.

We need data.

That is why cooperation between tourism businesses, government authorities, conservation organizations and scientific institutions is so important.

Through cooperation with organizations and institutions including BKKPN and the University of Mataram, Oceans 5 supports a more science-based understanding of the Gili Matra marine environment.

Water quality needs monitoring.

Changes in coral cover need monitoring.

Algal growth needs investigation.

Coastal erosion needs to be understood.

Groundwater and wastewater deserve serious attention.

Only with long-term data can we separate assumptions from evidence and identify the pressures that genuinely threaten the marine park.

A Marine Protected Area Has to Extend Beyond the Water

This brings us back to the original question:

Can a Marine Protected Area work if we only protect what is underwater?

We don’t believe it can.

Not on a tiny island surrounded by coral reefs.

Marine protection must include the relationship between land and sea.

It means protecting coral.

But it also means thinking about wastewater.

It means protecting turtles underwater.

But it also means preserving the beaches where turtles can potentially nest.

It means restoring damaged reefs.

But more importantly, it means preventing unnecessary damage in the first place.

It means questioning whether another beach wall is really the solution.

It means asking whether construction belongs in certain coastal areas.

It means respecting zoning and building regulations.

And it means understanding that the economic interests of today cannot automatically take priority over the environmental health of tomorrow.

What Will Gili Air Look Like in 20 Years?

Perhaps this is the most important question.

Not:

How many tourists can we bring to Gili Air next year?

Not:

How many new rooms can we build?

Not:

How close can we legally—or illegally—build to the ocean?

Instead:

What kind of Gili Air do we want to leave behind?

Do we want an island surrounded by walls, concrete and channels, where small sections of coral are continuously restored to compensate for much larger environmental pressures?

Or do we want an island where development recognizes that the beach, groundwater, coastline, reef, turtles, businesses and community are all part of the same system?

Oceans 5 Gili Air chooses the second option.

That is why our conservation work does not stop when we climb out of the water.

And that is why we will continue to speak when activities on land could threaten what we are all trying to protect underwater.

Because sometimes the best way to restore a reef is to make sure we don’t damage it in the first place.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Oceans 5 Gili Air speak about development when it is a dive center?

Because activities on land can affect the marine environment. Coastal construction, sediment, wastewater, shoreline modification and loss of natural beaches can all influence coastal ecosystems. Protecting reefs therefore requires looking beyond activities happening directly underwater.

Is Oceans 5 against tourism development on Gili Air?

No. Oceans 5 is itself a tourism business. The issue is not whether development should exist, but whether development is appropriate, follows applicable regulations and considers its environmental consequences.

Are beach walls always environmentally damaging?

Not necessarily. The effects of coastal protection structures depend on their location, design, surrounding shoreline and local conditions. However, scientific literature shows that hard coastal structures can alter natural sediment movement and beach morphology and may contribute to beach loss or erosion in some circumstances.[2][3]

Does Oceans 5 claim that septic tanks are causing algae growth around the Gili Islands?

No. Establishing a specific cause requires scientific investigation. However, research elsewhere demonstrates that nutrients and contaminants can travel through groundwater into coastal ecosystems and that nutrient enrichment can affect coral-reef communities.[5][6][7] This is why Oceans 5 supports monitoring and research rather than making unsupported conclusions.

Why are natural beaches important for sea turtles?

Female sea turtles require suitable sandy beaches for nesting. Coastal development, barriers and artificial lighting can reduce nesting habitat or interfere with nesting females and hatchlings.[8][9]

Isn’t coral restoration enough to protect the reef?

Coral restoration can be useful, but restoration does not eliminate the underlying causes of reef degradation. Effective conservation should combine restoration with prevention, monitoring, enforcement, research and responsible coastal development.

What can businesses on Gili Air do?

Businesses can respect building and protected-area regulations, manage wastewater responsibly, avoid unnecessary alteration of beaches and reefs, reduce pollution, support scientific monitoring and consider the environmental consequences of development before construction begins.

What does Oceans 5 mean when it says “conservation doesn’t stop at the shoreline”?

It means that the reef cannot be separated from the island surrounding it. What happens on land can eventually affect the sea. Marine conservation therefore needs to consider the entire coastal ecosystem rather than focusing only on what divers can see underwater.

References

[1] Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia (KKP) / BKKPN Kupang. Information and management resources relating to the Gili Matra Marine Tourism Park (Taman Wisata Perairan Gili Matra).

[2] Dugan, J.E., Airoldi, L., Chapman, M.G., Walker, S.J. & Schlacher, T. (2011). Estuarine and Coastal Structures: Environmental Effects, A Focus on Shore and Nearshore Structures. Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science.

[3] Nordstrom, K.F. (2014). Living with shore protection structures: A review. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 150, 11–23.

[4] Fabricius, K.E. (2005). Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 50(2), 125–146.

[5] Lapointe, B.E., O’Connell, J.D. & Garrett, G.S. (1990). Nutrient couplings between on-site sewage disposal systems, groundwaters, and nearshore surface waters of the Florida Keys. Biogeochemistry, 10, 289–307.

[6] Wear, S.L. & Thurber, R.V. (2015). Sewage pollution: mitigation is key for coral reef stewardship. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1355, 15–30.

[7] Lapointe, B.E. (1997). Nutrient thresholds for bottom-up control of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in Jamaica and southeast Florida. Limnology and Oceanography, 42(5), 1119–1131.

[8] Witherington, B.E. & Martin, R.E. (2000). Understanding, Assessing, and Resolving Light-Pollution Problems on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches. Florida Marine Research Institute Technical Report TR-2.

[9] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Fisheries). Guidance and conservation information concerning threats to sea turtles and nesting habitat, including coastal development and artificial lighting.