By: Adella Adiningtyas (Marine and Fisheries Campaign and Social Media Assistant)

"Do you know what dugong and seagrass are? Are you interested in getting the full information not? Come on, stop by to our booth to play while learning fun.", invited Bayu, volunteer DSCP Indonesia, to visitors of Deep & Extreme Indonesia.

WWF-Indonesia also invites visitors to become responsible tourists through Conservation Discussion or DisKo: #TemanTamanLautaut and #SigningBlue. DisKo as an educational forum that is routinely organized by WWF-Indonesia aims to invite the public to be more concerned about the sustainability of the earth. Visitors who attend the WWF-Indonesia booth also get a lot of interesting surprises such as, playing mini stacks with prizes, photo booths, and animal face painting.

Sheyka N Fadela, Marine Species Program WWF-Indonesia with Sekar Mira, Marine Mammal Researcher of LIPI, told a story in DisKo: What's wrong with Duyung (Stranded)?, that these marine mammals are often caught for meat. Even though Duyung has been officially protected by the Indonesian Government through Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999. This proves that there are still many Indonesians who do not know what mermaids and seagrasses are.

Besides bringing benefits to dugongs, seagrasses also have an important role for us. Seagrasses that grow to form meadows at the bottom of shallow coastal waters can filter waste and maintain water quality. In DisKo: Seagrasses for dugongs and us, Ahmad Sofiullah, Directorate of Conservation and Marine Biodiversity-KKP, explains seagrasses are also home and feeding grounds for many marine life.

"The way we can do to preserve seagrass is quite easy, by avoiding and consuming plastic we can reduce seawater pollution. So that seagrass, which is home to many marine life, can be preserved," said Arifin Putra in DisKo: Seagrass for Dugongs and Us.

During the four-day event, WWF-Indonesia organized a Conservation Discussion (DisKo) on March 9-11. Suryani Mile, Chairperson of the Indonesian Recreational Boat Network Association and Indarwati Aminuddin, Marine and Tourism Coordinator of WWF-Indonesia, explained the procedures for tourists and tour operators to get a clearer understanding and be more critical in determining or providing tour packages.

WWF-Indonesia also ensures that there is an easy way to become a responsible traveler through the Marine Buddies application. Through Marine Buddies visitors can increase access and information on responsible marine tourism practices to the public through the use of best practices. Dwi Aryo, Campaign Coordinator of WWF-Indonesia, accompanied Ichwan Susanto, KOMPAS reporter, who shared his experience of being a #TemanTamanLaut while exploring coral reefs.

According to Ichwan, Indonesia still has a great opportunity to preserve coral reefs through responsible tourism activities. "Hopefully, visitors here will also care about coral reefs so that their sustainability is maintained," Ichwan concluded in his discussion.

Hopefully what WWF-Indonesia through DisKo has shared about the concept of responsible marine tourism to the visitors can be implemented well, yes. We can make it happen by downloading the Marine Buddies app to become #Friends of the Marine Park!