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Gili Air Eco-Issues
Beach Erosion has been quite severe since 2008. Gili Air lost ten meters near the surf break. 1,600 kg concrete blocks simply washed away in the storms. Dynamited Coral Reefs & Poisoned Fish are hopefully a thing of the past. It may take over 100 years for the coral to grow back naturally. However the successful BioRock Coral Reef Eko Technology on Gili Meno illustrates that electricity grows coral much faster than by nature alone. Fish populations were decimated by coral loss as well as by the local fishermen's poisons. The ones remaining love eating bananas (from snorkeling trips) while the coral ecosystem grows back. Beach Reclamation is possible though an expensive option. 10 meter wide hemp-net carpets, up to 30 meters long. barged from Lombok can be tethered to Gili Air's high shore and unrolled. Layers of sand and nets, all criss-crossing, can create a stable shore. Irrigated with native plants and bamboo above high shore, the new root systems knot the sand back together. Lack of Jobs for Gili Air is no exception. As Oberoi and Sheraton hotel chains hire, they backfill from Bali. Endemic Corruption (as assessed by Global Integrity.org) ranks Indonesia on the 'weak' side. This may pose hardships for the construction of an eco-lodge and other island initiatives. Gili Isles Export-Business Cooperative should offer free Internet access for local islanders' businesses. Web-branding them will assist in their export growth. Further Exports of hand-blown glass rum flasks and copper starfish fund eco-awareness beyond Gili's fair shores and those of Lombok and Bali.
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