Yinson Group Strategy alongside the Inecosolar team has recently volunteered with Bali Blue Harmony (BBH), a marine biodiversity conservation programme with  Yayasan Biodiversitas Pesisir dan Laut (YBPL – the Foundation), in Nusa Dua, Bali. 

The voluntary engagement was held on 2 November 2023 on the beach facing YBPL’s coral garden, and was joined by 32 Group Strategy employees and senior leadership from the KL and Singapore offices, as well as 5 colleagues from  Inecosolar’s Bali office. Inecosolar is a subsidiary of Yinson Renewables. 

The team was first briefed on the background of the BBH coral reef restoration project by  Mdm. Pariama Hutasoit, the Chairwoman of the Foundation. Yinsonites were also introduced to the team of volunteers on rotation, most of them marine science students from local universities. 

Coral reefs, often called the ‘rainforests of the sea’, are an underwater ecosystem vital to marine biodiversity, with a quarter of known marine life dependent on them for survival. This delicate ecosystem faces numerous threats, including climate change, marine pollution, and overfishing. Mdm Hutasoit shared the local challenges, commenting, “The team works hard to keep marine litter and sediment to a minimum while continuing to monitor the coral garden for coral diseases and predatory creatures. In particular, for Drupella, a type of sea slug that was recently spotted in the garden preying on living corals.” 

After the educational briefing, the team was introduced to the coral restoration approach of the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS) and was taught the proper handling and fastening of coral fragments onto reef stars. Reef stars are hexagonal steel structures coated with resin and coral sand, to which locally sourced coral fragments are attached. The reef stars are lowered and anchored to the sea floor, forming intricate web-like structures across the rubble beds and around existing coral bommies. This is a rapid and cost-effective approach to restoring the regenerative capacity of coral rubble beds. 

Yinsonites successfully transplanted 60 coral fragments onto 4 reef stars. Each coral is name-and-date-tagged with “lontar”, a type of Balinese palm leaf. To reduce exposure and minimise heat stress on the transplanted corals, they are swiftly taken by divers to  BBH’s coral garden, which also serves as a coral nursery for other restoration projects throughout the island. The newly transplanted corals will be under the care of and monitored by BBH. 

Yinson Group Strategy Officer, Mr JJ Chai, speaking on the voluntary engagement, said “One of Yinson’s core CSR missions is to promote environmental conservation and preservation. After engaging with YBPL and recognising the critical state of coral reefs in the region, I am glad and proud of the team for their small contributions towards revitalising these underwater wonders.” He also expressed his gratitude towards  YBPL for hosting Yinsonites. 

YBPL is an Indonesian NGO that focuses on the conservation of coastal and marine resources to support and build a sustainable local economy. Bali Blue Harmony (BBH) is the name of YBPL’s coral restoration project. To date, YBPL has collaborated with various parties to plant more than 63,000 coral fragments across Indonesia.