JAKARTA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is restoring 50 hectares of coral reefs in the Indonesia Coral Reef Garden (ICRG) program in support of the tourism sector in the country's resort island of Bali, an official said.
The ICRG program is part of the efforts to recover Bali's tourism sector which is the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, acting Director General of the Marine Space Management at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, TB Haeru Rahayu, said in a statement on Friday.
The ICRG program is being implemented in five locations in Bali, Rahayu said, adding that the labor intensive program was expected to involve 11,000 workers as well as a number of community organizations.
The ministry's Director of Marine Services Miftahul Huda said the ICRG program focuses on building coral gardens, facilities and infrastructure on a participative basis, benefiting community empowerment and capacity building.
Huda expressed hope that this activity will accelerate local economic recovery in the marine tourism sector and enhance the productivity besides increasing the income of the local people. Enditem
