Working with Community

Improving aquatic environment is partly to limit human destructive act for whatever reason it is made. And community development is one key to solution. Offering more eco-alternatives of livelihood to local community shall more prove as a win-win rather than a rip-off. In both of our establishments, mimpi has initiated several community projects with a single objective to providing better livelihood yet more environmentally accepted. With the opening of our establishment in menjangan in 1998, local fishing community was approached to abandon intensive act of bombing and cyaniding. As an option, fund was put to open an entry base to menjangan island in Banyuwedang. Currently it operates 70 boats to employ former local fishermen and their family either as boat drivers, dive guides or attendants.

Working collaboratively with several other interests, seaweed project was also initiated in the neighboring community of Sumberkima whose reputation of poaching decorative fishes is renown. Sorting out several major early-stage-challenges in 2002, the project has currently employed over 150 locals, males and females. Partly some small home industries have further grown from it. Good production of seaweed demands clean and healthy seawater, a condition that simply requires good aquatic environment.