WWF Coral Triangle Photo Expedition

Being with WWF in Wakatobi

By Stella Chiu-Freund | Published: November 15, 2009

2 – 12 November 2009

The hour we arrived in Wanci, we immediately had a meeting with WWF Indonesia Wakatobi Project Leader Veda Santiadji in their Wangi Wangi office. He offered us different travel scenarios and we got really excited when the first option was to do initial diving on a snapper Spawning Aggregation Sites (Spags) then proceed to far away Moromahu for a bird survey then continue on to Runduma & Anano Islands, slowly coming back to Wangi Wangi visiting the different islands of WA KA TO BI.

Wakatobi National Park Rangers surfacing after a dive counting fish aggregating during pre-spawning period. Baracuda the 500hp speedboat in the background

We were going with several boats to get to the islands. National Park speedboat Baracuda for the Spags survey.

Our home away from home in Wakatobi. Menami, the lovely wooden boat of WWF & TNC

TNC/WWF liveaboard and floating research station Menami (meaning Napoleon wrasse) WWF speedboat Simba (meaning trevalley) and a dingy with no name for our far trip to Moromahu. Great.

Posted in Coral Triangle, Coral reefs, Fisheries, Indonesia, Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Marine conservation, Scuba Diving, Wakatobi South Sulawesi | Leave a comment

Coral Miners

By Stella Chiu-Freund | Published: November 15, 2009

2 – 12 November 2009

We noticed from early on how different the sea gypsies from Wakatobi lived compared to their Bajau relatives from Sabah, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Bajo from Wakatobi reclaimed land and had sturdy houses on top of their new land. We heard from Sugi how complex the situation is because the new land comes from mined corals. It is a very sensitive issue and one we noticed and felt right away when we stoped to photograph the coral miners.

This woman starts working at six in the morning and fills her canoe with dead corals

This woman starts working at six in the morning and ends her day by four in the afternoon. Twice during the day she fills her canoe with dead corals

Each canoe load of corals fetches her 85,000 Rupiah or $8.50 so for her extreme hard work, she earns $17 a day

Each canoe load of corals fetches 85,000 Rupiah or $8.50. For her extreme hard work, this woman earns $17 a day

This mined coral is the foundation of people's houses all over this region

This woman miner thought we were going to stop them and call the police.

The Bajo kampung in Kaledupa totally reclaimed with coral as its foundation

Bajo community in Wangi Wangi

Kampung Sama Bahari shows tide changing water level on the walls of the coral foundation

Sail powered canoe brings home coral from the day's mining efforts

I had a long conversation with Sugi about his fears and hopes for conservation in this area. Wakatobi is 100% marine park divided into different take and no-take zones. He asked me, “See these two old women working so hard to earn a living? How do I tell them to stop what they may have been doing for many many years in the name of conservation?” He asked me a question I do not know the answer to.

Posted in Coral Triangle, Coral reefs, Indonesia, Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Marine conservation, Wakatobi South Sulawesi | Leave a comment

Faces of Wakatobi

By Stella Chiu-Freund | Published: November 15, 2009

2 – 12 November

I cannot write enough about the people we met along the way. Their faces has left an indelible mark on us. Here is a gallery of the look of Wakatobi.

Young Bajo maiden with badak or traditional sunblock on her face

Muslim lass stands out in her bright colors

This walking picture vendor will bring Mecca to you

This walking picture vendor brings Mecca to people's doorstep in Wangi Wangi

A weaver from Runduma Island has her face covered in badak

Also from Runduma, this woman weaves a rice container made from young coconut leaves

For several days in Anano Island, this man fished, salted and stored his catch before heading back to Runduma where his family lives.

Wild looking but as friendly as can be, this man holds up 2 snappers for Yogi to document

He didn't stop to take a break. After fishing in the early morning, he'd be cutting, cleaning and preparing his catch for the long term

He didn't stop to take a break. After fishing in the early morning, he'd be cutting, cleaning and preparing his catch by midday

With hardly any electricity for a refrigerator, salting his fish is the only way to preserve his catch for the long term

With hardly any electricity for a refrigeration, salting his fish is the only way to preserve his catch for the long term

Our wild fisherman talks to Ma Sugi about being the only shark fisherman in Runduma catching hammerheads and grey reefs only when the sea was flat calm

Our fisherman answers Ma Sugi's WWF shark fisheries questionnaire from his home in Runduma . He is the only shark fisherman of in his kampung, catching hammerhead and white tip reef sharks only when the sea is flat calm

Posted in Coral Triangle, Indonesia, Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Wakatobi South Sulawesi | Leave a comment

Muslim Mosque in Binongko

By Stella Chiu-Freund | Published: November 15, 2009

2 – 12 November 2009

You cannot mistake the religion of this area. Five times a day, we would hear the Imam sing from loudspeakers of nearby mosques. I loved it.

This young man walks to the mosquee for his noontime prayers

This young man walks to the mosque for his noontime prayers

Our WWF companion Sugiyanta or Ma Sugi as everyone called him, brought Yogi to an old Mosque in Binongko. After getting permission from the Imam for Yogi to photograph their prayers, Sugi disappeared to his own praying world.

I know ffrom Sugi that we all pray for the same universal thing. We both pray for safety, good health, happiness, peace . . .

I know from Sugi that we all pray for the same universal thing. We both pray for the safety of our families, good health, happiness and yes, world peace

These boys, after the first shy moments, gather around for the picture

They stand with character and pride.

Beautiful impish boy in his praying garb

Beautiful boy in his praying garb

This old man went to Yogi twice to say Termia kasih. Thanking Yogi for visiting their mosque

This old man went to Yogi twice to say "terima kasih", thank you. Thanking Yogi for visiting their mosque

Posted in Coral Triangle, Indonesia, Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Wakatobi South Sulawesi | Leave a comment

People of Wakatobi

By Stella Chiu-Freund | Published: November 15, 2009

2 – 12 November 2009

To many divers around the world, Wakatobi South Sulawesi is an underwater destination. Wakatobi, which is short for its many islands, stands for Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia & Binongko. We went to all these islands and beyond with WWF Indonesia and its partner agency TNC. We didn’t do much diving here. Rather, we spent of our days documenting the most interesting people who live here.

The Bajo village (sea gypsies otherwise known as Bajau in Sabah or Badjao in the Philippines) of Sama Bahari, Kaledupa had a visiting trader boat from far away Roti Island selling liquid palm sugar or gula air. Roti is the southermost inhabited island of Indonesia in East Nusa Tenggara Timor.

Roti Island palm sugar trader swamped by Bajo women and children. Their canoes parked side by side like in their own version of "shopping"

For years the Bajo people bought liquid palm sugar from sugar traders coming from far away West Timor

For possibly hundreds of years, the Bajo people bought liquid palm sugar from traders coming from Roti, far away West Timor

In Tomia, we visited a traditional jewelry repair craftsman. The tools of his trade had the patina of age and careful use.

A tiny piece of gold fired to melting point

Traditional foot pedal pumping fueled air to torch a tiny piece of gold

Gold, how much do you weigh?

The jewelry he was hired to repair were from people who cared for their precious possessions. Quite a refreshing contrast from the new disposable world we live in — I think I prefer the ways of the old world.

The gold ring was so thin from wear. Kind of symbolic reminder of how the hands take on the pressure of labor

Wakatobi was also known as Tukang Besi Islands. Tukang besi means blacksmith and in Binongko, we visited machete makers forging spring steel from car springs into sharp knives that is guaranteed to cut.