Floating library

If there isn’t a saying that good begets good, there should be. Take what’s happened at the Misool Eco Resort in Indonesia, already a diving destination that’s getting a great reputation but is also involved in local activities. Its head ranger, Rajak Tamher, was in Bali on an 8-week capacity building mission with the Coral Reef Alliance when he had the idea to spearhead a floating library project. A Coral representative helped to obtain free Indonesian-language children’s books, donated by the publishers, and now the rangers use Misool’s patrol boat to deliver these books to the primary schools in the nearby villages of Yellu and Dabatan. The students are desperate for learning materials. The schools are so short of funds they can’t afford to pay their teachers – Misool and private donors support two full-time teachers in Dabatan. Good idea!*

* The Ranger Patrol has received generous funding from WildAid, Coral, Precious Planet, and several private donors, but as the number of infractions increases, Misool needs to step up the intensity of its patrols. The patrol always needs more contributions – so keep that in mind.

Kids See a Coral Grouper on the Page

(Photo by Jürgen Freund)