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59-425: The islands are a tourist destination. Each island has several resorts, usually consisting of a collection of huts for tourists, a small pool and restaurant. The largest Indonesian settlement is located on Gili Air, however due to the amount of western expatriates who live on Trawangan together with the locals, it has become the more densely populated island, concentrated in a township stretching along its east side (this

118-415: A closed circuit mixed gas rebreather with 290 m (950 ft). During the dive all his computers froze. His actual – but unrecorded – depth is estimated to be a shade over 300 m (980 ft). The dive in total took nine hours and 57 minutes. Gili Trawangan has had a reputation since the 1980s as a location where drugs are freely available. Psilocybin mushrooms are openly advertised on

177-474: A bad shape that local people decided to react and started patrolling around the islands. They entered into an agreement with fishermen to define fishing areas and lawful fishing practices. Fishermen were indeed fishing with dynamite and cyanide . This destructive method was one of the main causes of coral degradation. The Gili Eco Trust was founded in 2000 by the dive shops on the Gili islands to financially support

236-414: A national emergency" and that they were capable enough to respond without help. However, the infrastructure for disaster management and relief was not adequately in place in and around Lombok, resulting in acute delays during the aftermath. Therefore, the first responders to the disaster were stretched local government agencies such as police & military personnel, domestic volunteers and business owners in

295-528: A non-profit organisation by the name of Gili Eco Trust was established to help protect the coral reefs surrounding the islands and improve environmental education. It originated as a co-operative venture between influential members of the local community (Satgas) and the dive shops on Gili Trawangan; and was initiated by the owners of Manta Dive. Many projects have since been organised to protect and restore coral reefs, improve waste management, struggle against erosion, treat animals, raise awareness and educate. This

354-506: A quick boat ride away. There is no motorised transport on the Islands apart from electric scooters . The short distances on land are traversed on foot, by bicycle or Cidomo . The Islands can only be reached by sea, and are frequented by a variety of fast boats operating various routes from Bali and Lombok. The August 2018 Lombok earthquake killed 20 people and injured hundreds more, the earthquake caused significant damage to Lombok island and

413-447: A quiet retreat. It has a population of about 1,800. The island offers excellent snorkelling and scuba diving off its east coast, and turtles can be seen along the coral reef. Other water sports such as Stand Up Paddleboarding and Kitesurfing are also now available. An Indonesian cooking school has opened its door on the harbour in 2015 Gili Cooking Classes . Gili Air also has two public gym: one indoors as well as an outdoor gym set on

472-474: A thousand coloured bins have been installed, reusable bags are distributed. Tetra briks are sent to Eco Bali, a partner of the Gili Eco Trust. Glass, cardboard , aluminium cans and plastic are recycled in building materials. Finally the Gili Eco Trust organizes clean up days every first Friday of the month. Tourists can join children from the local school, volunteers from businesses, the Gili Eco Trust and

531-418: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gili Eco Trust Gili Eco Trust is a local non governmental organization created in 2000 to protect coral reefs from destructive fishing around the three Gili Islands , off Lombok , Indonesia . The Gili Eco Trust has extended its activities to many Eco projects to regenerate coral reefs and fish abundance, weekly beach clean ups, educating in

590-666: Is a small horse -drawn carriage used in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Lombok and the Gili Islands of Indonesia . The name Cidomo is derived from the Sasak word cika or cikar (a traditional handcart), dokar (Balinese for pony cart) and mobil (Indonesian for car) for the wheels used to move it. It is also known as benhur after similarities to the Roman carts in the film Ben-Hur and Lombok " Ferrari ". The carriage

649-552: Is also the only island out of the 3 Gili Islands that has any active law enforcement. This makes it much more difficult for harder drugs (such as cocaine or ecstasy) to be sold, and deters drug dealers from staying there. Gili Meno and Gili Air have no police and any issues need to be dealt with at the police station in Lombok. Since 2009, the number of tourists visiting Gili Trawangan has doubled each year, from 35,000 to over one million in 2015, overwhelming infrastructure and contributing to

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708-535: Is also where the majority of tourist development has taken place). Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is by foot and bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo . Scuba diving and free diving in and around the Gilis is also common due to the abundance of marine life and coral formations. Most famous diving spots are Shark point, Manta point and Simon's reef. The name "Gili Islands"

767-437: Is more resistant to hazards it faces. Hard corals are not the only ones to grow on Biorock structures: tunicates , bivalves , sponges and soft corals also come to develop at speeds higher than the average. On a Biorock structure, their survival and resistance rate is 20 to 50 times higher than in natural environment. Finally, because electrified reefs rely on electrolysis, its impact benefits all corals and ecosystems around

826-510: Is somewhat tautological , because Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak . Most of the small islands around the coast of Lombok have Gili in their names, and to avoid confusion with the three islands of the Gili Islands, the other Gilis around the Lombok coast should be referred to in English by their full proper names. The Indonesian word for water is Air ( [aˈjɛr] ) and Gili Air

885-507: Is the largest of Lombok 's Gili Islands and the only one to rise significantly (30 m) above sea level. Measuring 3 km long and 2 km wide, it has a population of around 1500 (see demography ). The name Trawangan originates from the Indonesian word Terowongan (Tunnel) due to the presence of a cave tunnel built there during Japanese occupation in World War 2 . Japanese presence during

944-499: Is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorised vehicles. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horse-drawn carriage). For travelling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorised boats and speedboats. Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were fishermen and farmers from Sulawesi . Previous to human settlement Gili Trawangan

1003-446: Is totally harmless for any organism , leads to electrolysis , causing a calcareous precipitation on the whole structure. This will not only avoid the unwanted appearance of rust which would weaken the structure, but, as coral's skeleton is made of calcareous, the structure will, thanks to this reaction, become the best place for coral to develop. Thus biorock technology relies on a very simple principle: reproduction by electrolysis of

1062-418: Is usually brightly colored and often has many tassels and bells and pneumatic tyres. The carriage usually seats up to four people, two people in the front and two in the back. In the Gili Islands is one of the most common forms of transport as motor vehicles are not allowed. One problem of the cidomo is that they are very slow and are partly responsible for creating traffic congestion in the towns. Dung from

1121-495: The FMPL (the waste collection and treatment company on Gili Trawangan) which collects waste every day. The waste dump has been rebuilt and an elevated road has been built to reach it even during rainy season. Local people are used to burning their waste. This method is extremely polluting. The Gili Eco Trust tries to raise awareness about it and to change local habits and encourages recycling. General compost has been created, more than

1180-525: The FMPL and get a free dive in exchange of their participation. On Gili islands, horses suffer from poor treatment. Whereas horses normally live about 25 years, they do not live more than a few years on Gili islands because of the amount of work they are demanded and the lack of care from their owners who ignore what they need. Pulling carts around the island wouldn't be a problem for their health if they could drink fresh water and rest regularly, and be treated when they need to. Gili Eco Trust operates free to

1239-482: The Gili Eco Trust does not only target children. To make every person on Gili islands improve his/her behavior, posters and notice boards have been put up. Gili Eco Trust offers to come to businesses to train their staff in eco-behavior. In the same way, boats owners can be explained why coral is important and how to behave to not damage it. The electrified reef and underlying biorock processes were invented by Professor Wolf Hilbertz and Doctor Thomas J. Goreau at

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1298-767: The Gili Eco Trust has been organizing Biorock workshops every two years. In November 2006 took place the 4th international Biorock workshop. Two other workshops took place in November 2008 and November 2010 with always more participants from all around the world. 2009 was a turning point: the Gili Eco Trust extended its projects to land environment protection. To support all these projects, Delphine Robbe became full-time coordinator. 2016 saw more than 110 Biorock structures installed in areas where coral reefs were previously destroyed due to illegal anchoring, overfishing and storm damages followed by an unprecedented Il Nino event causing warmer sea temperatures and little or no rainfall in

1357-466: The Gili Eco Trust wants to develop a Biorock structure which would be provided with electricity by a turbine thanks to sea current. Thus, Biorock method would be more sustainable. Today, 63 Biorock structures regenerate the Gili islands' coral reefs. In the same time, the Gili Eco Trust organizes Biorock workshops every two years to teach people from all around the world about Biorock so that they can replicate it in other damaged coral areas. In 2006

1416-498: The Gili islands and the parts of Lombok that were less affected by the quakes. These organised small scale international fundraising initiatives through social networks and the web to help source & acquire much needed basic resources such as food & clean water, and shortly thereafter begin assisting with temporary and permanent shelter. This was vital in the early stages of the disaster, before larger scale government assistance arrived. Cave dive sites: Cidomo A Cidomo

1475-504: The Gili islands. The Gili Eco Trust cooperates with the SATGAS (and more recently the marine authorities of North Lombok BKKPN) to protect coral reefs. 20 days per month and on call, members of the SATGAS patrol to be sure that no one destructs coral and that fishermen respect the agreement on fishing areas and lawful fishing practices. The Gili Eco Trust is installing mooring buoys to avoid anchoring on coral reefs. Mooring buoys also help to mark

1534-458: The Gilis). Most of the locally owned businesses from the 1980s have been acquired by westerners. The longest standing locally owned and operated business is "Goodheart" resort, originally built in 1987 and rebuilt three times following demolition relating to the ongoing land dispute. Gili Trawangan gained a reputation from the late 1980s to the late 1990s as a party island. Drugs were freely available on

1593-624: The North of Lombok, however there was significant structural damage to property on the islands causing debris and wounding many. Many of the tourism businesses on the Gili Islands had commuting employees, living in Lombok, who were severely affected, losing family members, homes and more. Once the dust had settled, it took a while for the Indonesian Government to prepare and send aid. The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management refused international aid, claiming "earthquakes did not constitute

1652-471: The SATGAS. An eco donation of 50,000IDR (€4, US$ 5) is encouraged from every diver to mitigate their impact to the island upon visiting. In 2004, Delphine Robbe, part-time coordinator of Gili Eco Trust, imported the Biorock technology in Gili islands to launch a Coral Reefs Restoration Program. Since then 63 Biorock structures have been installed all around the Gili islands to regenerate their reefs. Since 2006

1711-478: The beach. Continued investment in tourism is resulting in rapid development of the islands, and each year sees new resorts and accommodation on the islands while attempting to retain their individual character. Proximity to Gili Meno, the smallest and most secluded of the islands and to Gili Trawangan the largest island, known for its many restaurants and parties, makes Gili Air a destination that combines relative seclusion with adequate services. Both other Islands are

1770-468: The boundaries of fishing areas. To gain further students and undergrads to learn more about coral and how to protect it, the Gili Eco Trust has developed a partnership with Mataram University, Lombok. Students in PhD , specialized in marine biology , come to Gili Trawangan to do studies on coral and to learn about Biorock technology. "Coral Watch" dives are also available in every dive shop. Data collected during

1829-410: The crystal clear water and idyllic, secluded white beaches. Since early 2017 fresh water was installed on the island and is supplied by underwater pipes from Lombok. Electricity is supplied by underwater cables from Lombok. There are no cars or motorbikes. Gili Air is the second smallest of the islands and the closest to mainland Lombok , making it popular with honeymoon couples and travellers seeking

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1888-465: The destruction of surrounding coral reefs . The increase in tourism has also led to an increase in migrant workers , causing issues with waste management. According to Thomas Egli – a photographer who travelled to Gili Trawangan in 2015 to document the overtourism problem – there is a huge rubbish tip in the centre of the island that is kept out of sight of visiting tourists. He also describes overwhelmed septic tanks leading to unfiltered waste entering

1947-573: The dive help Project Aware scientists in their studies on coral reefs. Coral is facing so many factors of degradation that the Gili Eco Trust decided not only to protect coral reefs but to restore them too. A Biorock Coral Reef Restoration Program has been implemented since 2006. Biorock method consists in installing new artificial coral reefs on the ocean floor . These reefs can have two positive roles: being ideal habitats for corals, fish , shellfish , mollusks , seaweed , etc. and being efficient wave breakers which protect beaches from erosion. Now

2006-406: The end of the 1970s and early 1980s. Electrified reefs are made with crisscrossed metal stems which are crossed by a low-voltage current of 1,2 Volts. These structures are installed on the ocean floor and pieces of corals are attached to them. These corals come from reefs in the neighborhood and were broken for various reasons such as unaware divers and strong waves. The electric current, which

2065-472: The horses is also posing an environmental problem in the towns and cidomo drivers have been urged by the Indonesian government to clean up after themselves or face suspension. Many tourists are against the inhumane way the horses are treated, often having to work long hours on concrete floors, visible signs of dehydration and sometimes suffering beating from the riders. This article about transport in Indonesia

2124-511: The immediate east on Lombok, and Mount Agung to the west on Bali, the Gilis are somewhat sheltered and actually enjoy a slightly drier microclimate when compared to the surrounding archipelago. Dry Season usually lasts from May until October, with monsoon season starting in November and continuing through to April. Temperatures range between 22 °C to 34 °C, with an average annual temperature of around 28 °C. Due to their small size and population, and relatively recent settlement of

2183-402: The island and its low population and remoteness required no police presence at the time. During the 1990s, the diving industry grew swiftly and the islands began to develop into a world class diving instruction location. This fed local tourism and in the new millennium a wider spectrum of accommodation and entertainment began to be developed that catered to a broader range of visitors. In 2000,

2242-449: The island and to improve their livelihoods and welfare. The Gili Eco Trust supports turtle conservation and to preserve our famous populations of Green and Hawksbill turtles . There is no longer any head starting programmes on Gili Trawangan as it is more beneficial for the turtle eggs to be left untouched in the sand and to hatch naturally before immediately entering the ocean. The Gili Eco Trust creates sturdy protection cages to guard

2301-594: The island, and a range of harder drugs have been known to be in circulation. Though police presence is low, Indonesian drug laws are extremely harsh and thus strictly speaking drug possession and use is prohibited and carries potentially grave risk (up to and including the death penalty). Although the 'drug tourism' (and tourism in general) began on Gili Trawangan, in the last 10 years finding drugs on Gili Air and Gili Meno has become very open and easy as well. Especially on Gili Air which has more intense psychedelics being sold openly to tourists for beach parties. Gili Trawangan

2360-523: The islands as a stop off location for their voyages around the archipelago. In 1971 the governor of Lombok, Wasita Kusama, began to establish coconut plantations and gave land rights to private companies. Some 350 inmates from the overcrowded prison in Lombok’s largest city Mataram , were sent to help with the first harvests between 1974 and 1979; many of the inmates remained on the islands as permanent settlers. Following various difficulties with coconut harvests,

2419-539: The islands' horses three times every year, in association with the Animal Aid Abroad Australia and encourages businesses to install in front of their shop a fresh water bucket for the horses. Special free clinics are organized to sterilize stray and pet cats by the Cats Of Gili in partnership with Gili Eco Trust, helped by voluntary western veterinary surgeons to help control the population of cats on

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2478-530: The islands, published sources are limited. Where local knowledge has been used, those cited are elected local officials whose details are listed in the references section. For more detailed regional historical information, visit the Lombok article . For a brief period during the Second World War , occupying Japanese forces used the islands as a lookout post and prisoner of war camp. Relics from this period include

2537-404: The local and international schools, organize recycling and garbage collection schemes, universities' research and studies, set up sustainable Eco tourism with green energies , give animal care and free welfare clinics and much more. In 1998, SATGAS was funded by local people on the Gili islands to protect coral. Between 1997 and 1998 and because of many degradation causes corals were in such

2596-402: The most infrastructure at the time) began to transform to cater to this new economy. However, Gili Trawangan soon surpassed it, due mostly to its proximity to better dive locations. As the prospects for tourism on the islands began to rise in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, the government and investors whose abandoned land had been settled on by an expanding population, began to regain interest in

2655-482: The natural reaction occurring between coral, sea water , sun and dissolve minerals. Biorock technology's electrolysis is catalysis of the natural reaction and not only a simple reproduction, as this electrolysis enables a coral's development 2 to 6 times faster than in usual conditions. Normally coral grows from only some centimeters per year. And so getting its growth quicker is an efficient way to restore reefs. Moreover, coral on Biorock structures grows stronger and

2714-693: The nests for the 30-60 days they are in the sand. When a nest has been reported then the Gili Eco Trust will respond by recording nest size, species and protecting and keeping watch over the eggs. To make things and behaviors really evolve, the Gili Eco Trust raises awareness amongst local inhabitants and tourists. Every week, Delphine Robbe, Gili Eco Trust manager, teaches the three local school's classes about ecology and English . During 45 minutes, children from six to twelve years old think about solutions to preserve natural richness of Indonesia. They are taught at school on how to cultivate tomatoes , cucumbers , eggplants , aloe vera and vetiver grass . But

2773-509: The potential for development. This resulted in a series of evictions and demolishing of local homes and businesses, followed each time by inaction on the part of the developers and the rebuilding of destroyed homes by residents who opposed the eviction. The first tourist accommodation on Gili Trawangan was a small homestay called Pak Majid, built in 1982, by Pak ("polite Mr") Majid. This was eventually taken over in 2007 and transformed into Pesona Resort and Restaurant (the first Indian restaurant on

2832-453: The private efforts to exploit the islands' plantations were abandoned. The local population grew beyond their allocated bounds (100 hectares) and began to erect homes and businesses on the private, abandoned land. This led to a land dispute that continues to the present. In the 1980s, the islands started to be discovered by backpacker tourists. This was influenced by the exponential rise of tourism in neighbouring Bali. At first, Gili Air (having

2891-415: The remains of a bunker on the hill of Gili Trawangan, and the wreck of a patrol boat submerged at a depth of 45 m in the bay to the south of Gili Air (now a popular dive site). Permanent settlement only began in the 1970s, mainly due to the lack of fresh water sources before that time. Prior to human settlement, these islands remained pristine wildlife mangrove habitats. Initially, Bugis fishermen used

2950-406: The sea, unregulated building, and culture clashes between the predominantly- Muslim local population and hedonistic, mostly Western , tourists. Gili Meno is the middle of Lombok 's three northwest coast Gilis. Gili Meno has a population of about 500, mainly concentrated on the centre of the island (see section on demography ). The main income comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On

3009-520: The second world war was on elevated topography in the South of the island, where anti-aircraft guns were housed. Only the base of the AA guns remains at the end of the tunnel. Of the Gilis, Trawangan is the most developed and geared towards tourism. The main concentration of settlement, recreation, accommodation and diving business is situated on the eastern side of the island. A local pub, Tír na Nóg claims that Trawangan

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3068-457: The west of Gili Trawangan, the islands' most westerly member. Both Bali and Lombok are easily visible from the Gilis in clear weather. Mount Rinjani , Indonesia's second highest volcano, is close by on neighbouring Lombok, and dominates the views towards the east. Due to their close proximity to the Equator , the Islands have a warm, tropical climate with a dry and wet season. With Mount Rinjani to

3127-433: The west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. Gili Meno has swimming beaches all around the island, and a turtle sanctuary. The island attracts fewer tourists than Gili Trawangan and is the quietest and smallest of the islands. However, honeymooners are often drawn to

3186-608: The wet season between November and March. Following this, more than 80% of the Gili Islands coral reefs were deemed bleached or severely bleached as sea temperatures exceeded 32'c for more than 2 months. The Biorock's increased resilience to climate change helped more than 75% corals survive on the structures whereas natural reefs lost up to 40% of coral cover. Now the Gili Eco Trust leads many various projects to ensure Gili islands' sustainable development and promote eco-tourism. The Gili Eco Trust has implemented projects to protect and regenerate corals, and to preserve land environment on

3245-551: The workshop received 31 participants, 52 in 2008 and 80 in 2010. These workshops are supported by PADI , Project Aware, the Global Coral Reef Alliance, Mataram University, the Lombok government and many businesses on Gili Trawangan. The Gili Eco Trust has various activities on the Gili islands. Gili Eco Trust's main project on land is improving waste management. Waste is a permanent issue for Gili islands, especially because of their tourism. The Gili Eco Trust works with

3304-416: Was covered in forest and deer lived on the island. (Source: Inhabitants of Gili Trawangan — no printed source available). The economy of Gili Trawangan centres on tourism, as the island is too small to support any broad scale agriculture, and too remote to allow economically viable industry or commerce. There is a mosque and a lighthouse on the island. On 26 March 2014 Will Goodman set a depth record on

3363-634: Was needed as damage had occurred due to a particularly warm El Niño and unsustainable local fishing methods. In 2005, fast boat operations began from neighbouring Bali. Since then, many other fast boat services have come and gone, from various points around Bali and Nusa Lembongan, to the islands. As of 2012, the islands continue to experience rapid growth and development related to the tourism industry. Efforts are being made to preserve marine habitats and remain culturally distinct from neighbouring Bali in this process. The aforementioned land dispute remains unresolved. Gili Trawangan , or colloquially Gili T ,

3422-494: Was so-named as it is the only island of the three to have subterranean fresh water. Since this fresh water is a finite resource on the island, some resorts and restaurants in the island ship in water from the mainland. The Islands are located in the Lombok Strait , to the immediate northwest of Lombok . They extend outward from a tiny peninsula called Sire near to the village of Tanjung on Lombok. Bali lies about 35 km to

3481-406: Was the foreshock of a larger earthquake that followed 8 days later. The August 2018 Lombok earthquake occurred on August 5, 2018 and had a moment magnitude of 6.9 and caused catastrophic damage to North Lombok and also caused damage to nearby Bali , The earthquake caused up to 563 deaths and injured hundreds more. The Gili Islands escaped the worst of the damage, which was mostly concentrated in

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