The togians are a beautiful part of the world, aqua water, white sandy beaches, jungle. Its easy living for the tourist folk as you wander around in your bathers and sarong, turning up for breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, and dinner at 7. You fill in the day reading, lying on the beach, diving, snorkling, going round islands on boats, all good stuff.
It is also a place that is an environment on the start of demise. You really feel alarmed as you learn about the environmental 'Losses", and see evidence of what we talk about in relation to climate change, and management of resources. The area is severly over fished, dynamite/ electric chargers are used to kill fish in places, Chinese boats coming in traweling the area for fish and crustations eg the coconut crab (endangered), and fishing sustains the local community. All reef sharks have been fished out.
The water is so hot - a constant 31 degrees on the surface, and 28 degree's below (This is not the hotest time of the year) that coral is dead. The coral takes so long to recover, that 5 years regrowth is barely noticable.
Everything is economic to the locals, as many are stuggling to survive and feed familys, and the concept of a non reknewable ocean is not readily acknowledged, or acknowledged at all. All the serious divers only went for a couple of dives before moving on.
Police turn a blind eye to dynamiting - which has a penalty of 6 years in jail. Not sure what the deal is with the Chinese ships, if they procure favors etc.
It does not seem that there is a way to turn the over fishing and fishing practices around. Without other industrys being available, or government supporting people. Indonesia has no minimum wage, workers rights or pension. Locals were working for 20,000 to 50,000 rupiah a day. Most of the business owners were chinese, the traditional inhabitants were not making much of a living.
Indonesia also has rubbish problems. There is no education about how to get rid of plastic, there are no bins, rubbish is thrown off the boat, out of the car window, etc. Our driver from Gorntal to Manado was tossing out plastic bags, bottles etc for all of the 9 hour trip. Consequently it ends up in the sea. In talking with Micheal, a german dive instructor, a certain percentage of sand is now plastic, which the fish eat, and it enters the food chain again. Rubbish washes up on beaches and people will clean the beach by picking up leaves but leave the rubbish. It is a different mentality.
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