Interview

CATEGORY Post-graduate program

This master program will provide an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the conservation of coastal ecosystems in Bali, Indonesia. Besides learning more about three of the major ecosystems in Bali, which are corals, mangroves and seaweed and seagrass beds, you will learn specific methodologies such as to measure biodiversity, to determine carbon stock or to do seagrass mapping via remote-sensing. You will see, measure and understand the impact climate change has on these these coastal eco systems.

Our inspiration came from Ibu Astarini, who already is a lecturer of the Horticulture module of our “Tropical Biology and Marine Conservation” semester. Her thrive, activism and connections in the field of biodiversity research in coastal Bali caught our interest.

With a lot of requests from international universities calling for a Master Program in Bali focusing on Biology, Marine Science and Conservation, we had found the perfect team to realize our vision.

This means, we won’t only look at the academic and scientific point of view. To show you the complexity of conservation in Indonesia in particular, we will visit several active local communities. You will see how the community manages coastal areas to meet conservation and, or tourism needs.

Absolutely! Exactly because the island offers everything you need to understand the complex relationship between environmental, social and economic issues. This being said, we surely won’t miss to show you the upsides and the downsides of a rapid touristic development in Bali. We will try to spend as much time outdoors as possible to show you the raw beauty, the manmade beauty, but also the sad reality of mismanaged ecosystems.

As a master student you may be looking for a semester abroad, that will give you sneak peek into the work as a professional. We will provide a detailed focus on specific methodologies, that are used among the professional international and local research community to manage coastal areas.

According to Ibu Astarini, “This [semester program] will include a number of visits and guest lectures by an experienced local community who are actively involved in the conservation of the coastal region in Bali, for example BIONESIA, NDRF, LINI and some other organizations. This Community Based Management study will give students an hands on experience, field work, discussion with related NGO on what activities have been done in Bali for conserving coastal diversity.”

In short, with the practical knowledge gained during this post graduate semester in Bali you will see what you have to deal with specializing on conservation as a professional. It is a once in a lifetime experience that will guide you towards the right career path!