What in the World - The multi-million dollar coral reef restoration project in Indonesia

Download The multi-million dollar coral reef restoration project in Indonesia

In 2017 a cruise ship called the Caledonian Sky was sailing near the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia when it ran aground in the shallow waters and got stuck. The coral reef was severely damaged. Raja Ampat is one of the world’s most popular dive sites and a national park. The accident caused a serious loss of marine diversity and affected the livelihoods of the islanders, who rely on fishing and tourism.

After a long investigation, an out of court settlement was reached, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And this money has been used to repair the coral reefs, with the indigenous population playing a crucial role. Normally coral can take years and years to grow back, but this project is already yielding results, after just a few months.

We chat to Lesthia Kertopati, a BBC journalist in Jakarta, about this multi-million dollar coral reef restoration project.

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producer: Julia Ross-Roy
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal
Editors: Verity Wilde and Harriet Oliver

Published on Thursday, 2nd October 2025.

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