Valen’s Reef is a short film shot in the remote Bird’s Head Region in Indonesia. It debuted on June 20th, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It talks about how Ronald Mambrasar, a West Papuan fisherman-turned-conservationist, and his community lost and then regained back their waters. The film is entitled Valen’s Reef after Ronald’s Son, Valen.
photo from: John Martin/Conservation International
The Bird’s Head Region has been dubbed as “the epicenter of marine biodiversity”; it contains 75% of the world’s coral species and a lot more creatures unique to the region. 12 years ago, the entire reef was almost destroyed by overfishing. Fish populations fell by 90%, and that threatened the primary source of food and income for all the 760,000 people living in the area.
Over 12 years, the community has mobilized to restore and protect the Bird’s Head Region through monitoring and patrolling efforts. It has also become a model for community-driven conservation throughout the world.
Laure Katz, director of the Seascapes Program for Conservation International, says that: “The resulting conservation success story is remarkable,” she says. “Local fishers are now catching more fish with the same level of effort, and in key areas, ecotourism is growing by an average of 30% year over year.”
She adds: “We’re always looking for ways to encourage younger audiences to engage with our planet’s future and the concept that people need nature to thrive. We hope Valen’s Reef reaches the widest possible audience, and will be thrilled if this amazing new technology draws interest from a new audience.”
Go to the next page to see the short film!
The amazing 360-degree film teaches us just how important conservation efforts are. We need to preserve our environment so that our children can have the chance to experience the wonderful places and the biodiversity that our world has to offer. We also need to support conservation efforts so that any concerns with regions that are currently endangered can be addressed.
To learn more about the project, go to Conservation International’s website.
READ: What you missed: Half of the Great Barrier Reef has died and other news
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