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WASTE MANAGEMENT
Gili Trawangan has avoided vehicles pollution but not the big amount of waste produced by the quick development of its tourism.
Thus the Gili Eco Trust decided to tackle this issue and to clean the island to protect durably this paradise on Earth.
First the Gili Eco Trust has implemented clean up days every first Friday of the month, in association with the dive shops, the local school, the FMPL (the waste collection and treatment company of the island) and tourists who get a free dive in exchange of their participation.
- The next clean up day is on Friday 6th January 2012. Do not hesitate to participate and get your free dive! -
Poster aimed at raising awareness to the waste issue
Then the Gili Eco Trust cooperated with the FMPL to improve waste management. Waste are collected every day with cidomos (horses carts) and brought to the center of the island to be sorted. Locals are used to burning waste. The Gili Eco Trust struggles against this extremely polluting method and renovated the waste reception center so that waste can be stocked into one place, and constructed an elevated road so that the center could be reached even during rainy season.
In the same time, the Gili Eco Trust searched solutions to recycle and diminish the amount of waste on the island. General compost has been created, reusable bags have been distributed, sorting bins of different colors have been installed in the whole island. In May 2010 the Gili Eco Trust, helped by PADI, Trawangan Dreams, Scallywags, Trawangan Dive, Blue Marlin Dive, Gili Eco Villas and other numerous sponsors, ordered more than 1,000 bins. After the installation of the bins the Gili Eco Trust organized an event at the local school to explain the importance of waste sorting, in association with Eco Bali. Other explaining sessions are regularly organized by the Gili Eco Trust to establish real eco-habits to the inhabitants of Gili Trawangan. Gili Meno and Gili Air also received bins to encourage these islands to manage better their waste.
Within the framework of our partnership, Eco Bali taught us its knowledge in recycling. Tetra briks are sent by Blue Water Express boat to them, and glass, plastic, cans and cardboard are recycled in building materials.
Against the use of plastic bag on the island
HORSES’ TREATMENT
On Gili Trawangan, horses suffer a bad treatment.
The JAAN, Jakarta Animal Aid Network, came to the Gili islands to study horses’ life conditions after many complaints from the islands’ tourists and sent to the government of Lombok a report which sparked off the publication of many articles in local newspapers.
Whereas horses normally live about 25 years, they do not live more than a few years on Gili islands because of the amount of work they are demanded and the lack of care from their owners who ignore what they need. Pulling carts around the island wouldn’t be a problem for their health if they could drink fresh water and rest regularly, and be treated when they need to.
That’s why the Gili Eco Trust opens its clinic for free to the horses of the island every 1st and 15th day of the month, in association with the horse center Umalas from Bali and encourages businesses to install in front of their shop a fresh water bucket for the horses.
- At the end of this page, you will find an account from a visitor of the Gili islands -
Gili Eco Trust’s cidomo
VETIVER GRASS AND TREES PLANTING
To struggle the island erosion, the Gili Eco Trust launched a vetiver grass planting project on the beaches and a trees planting project on the hill.
On the beaches, vetiver grass which roots can reach five meters deep will hold the sand waves carry away. Combined with Biorock structures which break the force of waves, vetiver grass plantation will enable beaches to enlarge and resist the erosion of time and sea.
Vetiver grass has been planted first in front of Big Bubble, and then in front of Gili Eco Villas and Karma Kayak, before being introduced in the local school’s garden. Moreover the Gili Eco Trust is member of the Vetiver.org network.
On the hill, trees’ planting reduces the landslides that can occur during rainy season. The island needs even more trees as cows and goats are free and eat a considerable part of Gili Trawangan’s greenery.
Children gardening at school
CATS’STERILIZATION
Special weeks are organized to sterilize cats by the Gili Eco Trust, helped by western veterinary surgeons and Doctore Gede from Lombok. Cats are too numerous on Gili islands and we need to limit their reproduction.
TURTLES’ PROTECTION
Pak Zaenudin Dina was the first one to care about marine turtles on Gili Trawangan. His efforts led to a project financially supported by Garuda Air Lines. The Gili Eco Trust wanted to help too and installed a new water circulation system with the SPI (Solar Power Indonesia). The Gili Eco Trust wants to do more and to install a solar power system so that turtles wouldn’t suffer from a power cut.
Today the turtles’ ponds are in front of Dino’s café and Kokomo. Young turtles grow there in security before being released in the sea when they are old enough.
Babies turtle in a pond of the preservation center
On another hand, a grown-up turtle called Fred has been taken in after fishermen fished it and chose to cut its forelegs rather than their nets. Fred stayed 8 years at Reef Seekers on Gili Air and came then to Gili Trawangan at Lutwala, where a pond has been built just for it. The Gili Eco Trust hoped to find a way to compensate the loss of its forelegs to release it in the ocean, but it died at the end of November 2011, without clear explication. Maybe because of captivity.
Fred, the turtle with cut forelegs ACCOUNT FROM A VISITOR OF THE GILI ISLANDS, ON THE HORSES' TREATMENT.
In the street there was a cart parked on the side, in the hope of customers. The horse was patiently waiting while its owner was peacefully sitting in the cart.
The horse’s harness could not hide its wounds to inquisitive eyes in pursuit of reality behind its colorful girths. Rubbed all day long, chafed by salt and sand, its skin is marked with bloody savage tattoos.
The horse moves its head. Whinnies. And falls silent.
It is mutely suffering, cut from the world under its blinkers.
Its belly is contracting in violent and involuntary movements. Diarrhea is winning – this enemy from the salted insanitary water it has to drink every day. It bowed its head under the assault, and frothy slaver is running down its muzzle and makes little white stains on the muddy floor. It remains quiet, moves its hind legs a little, but it is hindered by the cart and that brings no relief.
On the back, the owner is having some rest, carefree. Nothing worries him, neither his horse’s thinness, nor its nervous agitation.
He suddenly reacts as tourists came. They want to go to the other side of the island. One of them gets on the cart. The weight brutally presses on the horse’s chest. It takes it all in its stride. And the second one. And the third. And the last one. Each time its chest receives the impact of a new pressure.
The owner takes place, catches hold of the reins and makes a sharp noise; the horse knows it is time to go. The cart pulls away and bounces along on the holed road on which the owner exhorts its horse to gallop. The cart is shaking, the horse is pulling.
No matter that some slaver keeps on running down its muzzle.
On the Gili Island, this scene is not an exception.
Normally, a horse lives 25 years. Here, it dies before 5.
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