Author: Nara Wisesa (WWF-Indonesia)

At 08.00 WIT, the Land Team moved towards Elo Village. The condition of the coral reef in front of Elo Village was very tight, the 'meti' was still quite low, again the fast boat boarded by the Land Team had difficulty reaching the village beach. But because Kris (DKP Maluku Barat Daya) had previously informed the Elo Village Head (Kades) via SSB radio, he was ready to welcome us on the beach. Seeing that we were having trouble docking, the village head asked one of his villagers to pick us up one by one using a canoe. After all team members reached the beach, the fast boat returned to Seven Seas and was ready to pick up the Land Team when it finished taking data around 12.00 WIT.

Once on land, the Land Team immediately walked to the village head's house, where there were already several residents ready to participate in the survey, including the village head's brother who was visiting from Ambon City. There were only about six participants in the focus group discussion, but only 3-4 people were active in answering, including the village secretary (Sekdes) of Elo and the wife of the village head.

Residents of Elo and Sermata Island in general, do not cultivate seaweed. They rely on garden products on land. Like previous villages, people also catch more fish for their daily food needs. If the catch is excessive, it will be made into salted fish. There are still residents of Elo, around 15 families, who have kinship ties with residents on Luang Island, some even coming directly from Luang. They do seaweed farming together with residents of Luang Island, who are still their relatives. These people usually commute from Elo to Luang. The community in Elo is quite heterogeneous and there are many migrants from outside. There are some residents who come from Bugis, Java, and even Arab descendants from Babar.

Similar to the villages visited by the Land Team before, Elo residents have also had problems with lola thieves and fish bombers from outside Southwest Maluku. Even a few years ago, there was an incident when police from the sub-district center shot dead several people from outside Southwest Maluku and sank their ships. Since the incident, no more outsiders have come to steal marine resources on Sermata Island. The community also feels that since the incident, the number of fish has increased and the corals around Elo have become denser.

About one kilometer east of the village, there are ruins of a fort or former city founded by Portuguese soldiers in the past. It is said that these ruins are sacred to the people of Sermata Island so that no one dares to visit the location. But lately, residents have actually considered it as a tourism potential. Some members of the Land Team also visited the interesting location.

Based on information from residents, in recent times many foreign tourists who came by ship liveaboard visited Elo Village. Residents welcomed them with traditional dances and became tour guides for hiking exploring the village area, snorkeling, and playing on the beach. The foreign tourists have to pocket IDR 2 million per person to enjoy all the entertainment.

After completing the social and fisheries data collection, the Land Team unwound with snorkeling activities in the waters in front of Elo Village, in the afternoon. As seen when they were on the fast boat to the village in the morning, the coral conditions in the area are indeed very tight, with an abundance of fish. The Land Team also had the opportunity to see residents diving, or 'molo' in the local language, to catch fish using arrows. What an unforgettable experience!