Tuesday 23rd January - Max

On Tuesday we went into the marine conservation area to clean the coral tables. It was amazing to see some of the coral plugs that we created the week before being put into the the tables. Furthermore, scrubbing the tables proved to be a very satisfying venture. 

After a quick break of refreshments at our beloved beach bar which included chips n mayo and delicious Tuskers, we swiftly moved on to getting some great permaculture done which featured digging up soil and ripping out plastic netting to re-vamp the garden at Bahari Hai. 

We had lunch at popes which was fab, then followed by an extremely rewarding activity in creating a Jiko stove for the local community. Although being hot and sweaty I feel like I speak for the whole group to say that it was amazing. We then had a fantastic supper and enjoyed a nice well deserved rest.

Oceans Alive says:

Coral cleaning is an essential part of our coral restoration program. Leapers find out just how hard it is to keep the baby corals alive. They are fragile and very sensitive to algae growing on them which blocks out the sunlight necessary for growth. Gentle scrubbing with toothbrushes is done daily to keep the fledgling corals in our nurseries clean and healthy and as algae free as possible. Coral cleaning also means a bit of extra snorkelling time which is alway a bonus.

Permaculture is a really interesting way we have got involved in a non-marine based action. Our teams have set up water and space efficient sack gardens in a nearby village as well as at Bahari Hai. The households can look after each sack garden and harvest nutritious leafy greens within six weeks of setting it up! 

Building jiko’s (stoves) is an important way Leapers are making a difference. Each jiko is much more efficient than a traditional stove which reduces the need for firewood by over 50%. The jikos were identified by an expert as one small thing we could do to really help our environment. By reducing the need for wood, we reduce the trees chopped down for firewood and the time spent each day looking for wood. The jiko’s emit less smoke also and are easy to maintain.