News - Wide Open Projects

June 2022

Les Jardiniers de Corail

Wide Open Projects was featured in this documentary on UshuaiaTV about coral restoration efforts in Raja Ampat. The documentary highlights very well the problems we address and the local involvement in our projects.

Only available on cable TV in France (for now).

watch it

March 2020

“How do you become a conservation biologist?”

Many students are passionate about environmental protection – but do they know what jobs are available in this field? Phil featured in an article about fueling students’ environmental passion.

read the article

August 2019

Coral restoration in action

YouTube video made by French/Spanish vloggers who crossed our path in the summer of 2019 when Wide Open Projects was performing coral restorations on Arborek island.

watch it

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wideopenprojects

Non-profit dedicated to supporting local communities and preserving biodiversity in Raja Ampat, West Papua. 🌏🌱 #WideOpenProjects #WOPRajaAmpat

EXPLORING IS PART OF WHAT WE ARE 💚 And this sh

EXPLORING IS PART OF WHAT WE ARE 💚

And this should be a constant reminder for us: this project started with the will to explore, and the love of the wilderness!
Here are some amazing moments captured during one of our excursions in Batanta Island 🍃

We took a small boat that took us into an amazing rainforest. We were admiring the incredible mangroves while intense rain followed us during this adventure! 🛶

Lastly we have @crazybirdguy telling @scubasamscuba the bird we just heard! 🐦‍⬛

As always, amazing 📸: @ignasirodriguez

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #Batanta #Explore #WestPapua #Indonesia #rainforest #mangroves #adventure #conservation #wonderfulindonesia

Another participant of our last expedition was Sel

Another participant of our last expedition was Selviana Mambrasar! 📚

Selvi is a passionate girl from Arborek island with ambitions to become a teacher and help the children in Raja Ampat.

On some of our past trips she expressed the desire of learning and be part of our educational trips, and last year we made it happen for her.

This past season she spent multiple weeks with @crazybirdguy visiting many schools and helping on the activities. Always with a big smile on her face and a positive energy towards the children 😁

We hope we can continue similar activities with her in the future! 📝

Congratulations on @molo_binr4 and the diving certification 🤿

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #Education #Conservation #Children #RajaAmpat #WestPapua #Indonesia

RELIGION IN RAJA AMPAT 🙏 Islam is the largest

RELIGION IN RAJA AMPAT 🙏

Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with more than 85% of the Indonesian population identifying as Muslim. 🕌
That makes Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim population outside Muslim-majority countries with more than 200 million adherents.

However north Raja Ampat predominantly follows Christian beliefs, specially in Arborek Island. ⛪️

Sundays are a non activity day due to Sunday’s mass, as well as other dates related to Christian festivities.

We had the opportunity to participate in some beautiful congregations with live music, dance & plenty of smiles. 🪕

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #Indonesia #Religion #Church #Islam #Christianity #Festivities #Music #dance #smiles

REACH LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION & OUTREA

REACH LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROGRAMS 📓

By promoting awareness and a philosophy of sustainability, we can contribute to the empowerment of the youth in local communities. ♻️

In schools, we discuss topics such as coral biology, coral reef ecology, species interactions, sustainable fisheries and plastic pollution. Each topic will be taught via lectures, interactive games and team projects, and accompanied by practical activities, such as snorkeling, creation of a local coral garden, plastic waste cleanups, etc.

Additionally, for each school visited, we will bring basic school materials (e.g. notebooks, pencils, erasers) for the entire children of the village 📚✏️

Small actions matter 💙

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #education #community #sustainability #biology #coral #reef #ecology #plasticpollution

All our adventures wouldn’t have happened withou

All our adventures wouldn’t have happened without the best boat captain, Roy 👨🏿‍✈️🛥️

@samscuba is that kind of person that always carries a big smile on his face and is ready to help wherever help is needed 🔨

Thanks to the amazing speed boat from @arborekdive_r4 and the knowledge and experience of Roy, we were able to discover new places in the area 🗺️

If you spend enough days with him, you will see him playing Volleyball and singing while playing the ukelele 🏐 🪕

Thank you so much for your energy!

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #boat #captain #smile #indonesia #discover #coralrestoration #coralgardening #savethereef #marinelife #conservation #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia

Time to celebrate 🎉 Two of our favorite people

Time to celebrate 🎉

Two of our favorite people in the world are gonna have the biggest celebration of their lives!
In a few hours, our beloved @githaisghie & @acelmambrasar are getting married💍

The WOP Team is thinking about you and we will be there with you in spirit! 💙

Two beautiful people, in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, having the most beautiful celebration!

CONGRATULATIONS 🎊

#LOVE

Our sweet ride 🚤 When performing projects acro

Our sweet ride 🚤

When performing projects across a dozen villages in Raja Ampat, having a reliable and fast mode of transportation is essential. Thanks to our amazing friends at @arborekdive_r4 we were able to move around efficiently across the region. 🗺

We used this boat to survey the area, collect material & equipment, move & set all the modular structures, visit the villages where we collaborated with the schools and of course, do some exploring 🛟

All the time with the amazing captain @scubasamscuba & the beautiful shots from @ignasirodriguez

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #photography #underwaterphotography #boat #speedboat #RajaAmpat #WestPapua #Indonesia

We want to introduce you the mastermind behind all

We want to introduce you the mastermind behind all these amazing photos & videos, owner of @ogmiusphotos , @ignasirodriguez 📸 🎥

It was amazing to have someone as experienced and friendly as Ignasi with us this year, with all his gadgets to take incredible footage. Without him, our efforts would definitely not have the visibility they have now.

Ignasi is a kind soul with a keen eye for artful angles that can tell a story without obstructing or influencing the work we were doing. For this, and because he was always ready to play with kids and be cool with any plan ahead, we genuinely appreciated him. 💙

We hope to be able to have him in the future expeditions!

Thank you so much Ignasi!

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #photographer #photography #videography #professional #friends #WestPapua #RajaAmpat #Indonesia

MACRO CORAL COLONIES 🪸 Sometimes, we like to

MACRO CORAL COLONIES 🪸

Sometimes, we like to look closer at all the amazing coral shapes, colors and types. So beautiful! 🔍

Coral colonies are made up of many small animals called polyps. They secrete a solid substance that creates the shapes that we’re familiar with.

We’re so happy to be able to provide these beautiful animals new homes when we restore damaged coral reefs!

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #reefrestoration #coralrestoration #underwaterphotography #coralreef #polyps #macro #macrophotography #detail #incredible #conservation

KIDS OF RAJA AMPAT 🏝 Everywhere we go in Raja

KIDS OF RAJA AMPAT 🏝

Everywhere we go in Raja Ampat there are kids playing around and contributing to the daily life in their community!

They were one of the main motivations for us to create WOP. They represent the future of this beautiful region, so we try to spend a lot of time with them and engage them into any project or activity we perform. Their enthusiasm and curiosity is contagious they always surprise us with their resourcefulness and creativity.

Through the years we have been to Raja Ampat, we have already seen them grow, and we have no doubt they will continue taking care of their paradise and be a force for good in the future! 🪸

Can’t wait to be back with them next year 💚💙

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #Kids #Future #coralrestoration #marinebiology #help #Arborek #RajaAmpat #WestPapua #Indonesia

Let us introduce to you Panji, big time bird lover

Let us introduce to you Panji, big time bird lover! 🦜🦩🦤

@crazytravelguy was a great addition to the team this year.
As we spoke on our past post, there is no conservation without education, so we decided to sponsor him to come with us and he was responsible for the educational activities in villages around Raja Ampat.
He did an amazing job teaching the kids about sustainability, food webs, coral ecology and birds! ♻️

Hope to keep working with you buddy!

Also you can check out his bird photography at @crazybirdguy

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #WestPapua #Indonesia #birds #birdphotography #education #conservation #awareness

When talking about education, we would have to men

When talking about education, we would have to mention @childaidpapua

They are a great group of people motivated to spread knowledge and awareness to children in the area. We love to visit them every year and witness their great work in action! 📚

Child Aid Papua is an educational organization based in the village of Sawinggrai, in Raja Ampat. Their Education Center receives many kids who are eager to learn every day. It all started as a tiny educational space created by @jonas_child_aid_papua and we are so happy to have seen it grow year after year. They are now an educational pillar of their community and an example to aspire to in the whole region. 💡

They even started their own high school! With great programs taught in an innovative and inclusive way. We encourage you to look at their work and support it if you can:

https://en.childaidpapua.org/

#WideOpenProjects #WOP #RajaAmpat #westpapua #indonesia #education #conservation #future #awareness

The most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world!

The most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world!! 🤩

It’s always incredible to see the amazing diversity of corals up close.

💪🏽🌊🐠🐬🦀
Contribute to restoring coral reefs in Raja Ampat, Indonesia👇

www.wideopenprojects.com

#underwaterphotography #uwphotography #macrophotography #macromood #coralrestoration #coral #coralreef #wideopenprojects #woprajaampat #rajaampat

EDUCATION & AWARENESS ♻️ A conservation proj

EDUCATION & AWARENESS ♻️

A conservation project without an educational part is almost futile. And the awareness has to start with the young ones!

@crazytravelguy was leading the education side of WOP 2022 expedition. 📚
Thanks to him we were able to reach 8 different villages, where we performed educational activities with some sustainability and ecology-related games 🫶

Every time we go to Raja Ampat we see those kiddos growing up, more aware of the situation and realizing how important it is to take care of their beautiful place 💙

#WideOpenProjects #WOP #RajaAmpat #school #villages #visit #education #awareness #conservation #young #future #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia

They’re pretty cute though. Let’s keep this

They’re pretty cute though.

Let’s keep this place whimsical and fun: check out our coral restoration projects at wideopenprojects.com 👍

#underwaterphotography #freediving #diving #clownfish #rajaampat #rajaampatisland #westpapua #wideopenprojects WOPRajaAmpat

P for @philfernandezf Phil plays a big role in t

P for @philfernandezf

Phil plays a big role in the 3 musketeers of @wideopenprojects

He is an ecologist with extensive experience in biology and evolution of insects & arachnids 🕷🪲🐜 who became a father recently to baby Dorian, future WOP member.

Nothing could have happened without his communication & social skills combined with his Indonesian language knowledge.

Phil constantly gives his heart & energy to make every expedition the best experience possible, being the most proactive person that exists, but most important, he is always there to make sure everyone around is happy 😊

If you send us an email, most probably the charming words in the reply will come from him 💙

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #social #communication #indonesia #biology #ecology #coralrestoration #coralgardening #savethereef #marinelife #conservation #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia

LAST STEP: PLACE THE STRUCTURES 📍 Now that all

LAST STEP: PLACE THE STRUCTURES 📍

Now that all the structures have been filled with coral fragments, it’s time to place them on the restoration site.

From our previous years, we realized that the depth range of 5 to 10m works best and we decided to do two different restoration sites.

As you can see on the photos, with the help of a buoy we make them float to move them from the shallow waters to the top of our site. From there, we sink them free diving.

It is a super fun activity that we love to do 💙

We space them out enough for them to grow and maybe in the future form one big reef. Our goal is to eliminate traces of our human presence and for it to look as natural as possible.

If you want to help us make more of these structures, a small donation can cover a lot of this process 😊 👉 Link in bio 🙏

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #indonesia #coralrestoration #coralgardening #savethereef #marinelife #conservation #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia #underwaterphotography #uwphotography #underwaterworld #diving #freediving #freedive

THIRD STEP: ATTACH CORAL 🪸 Structures built,

THIRD STEP: ATTACH CORAL 🪸

Structures built, coral fragments collected, time to move fast and attach them! Coral, welcome to your new home.

This step of the process is crucial to give those colonies of coral a new substrate to grow big and healthy 💙

We tend to work on shallow waters close by the designated site to facilitate the work.

We often attach coral fragments at the intersections since it provides a more stable point to grow. We use plastic zip ties (we tried metal ones, but sadly it didn’t work 😅) and then we make sure to cut the unused part to minimize the impact underwater.

Those structures are ready to be placed!

Stay tuned to see the last step of placing them at the damaged site 💚

📸: @ignasirodriguez
👨🏻‍✈️: @scubasamscuba
🚤: @arborekdive_r4

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #hardwork #coralrestoration #coralgardening #savethereef #marinelife #marineconservation
#rajaampat #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia
#underwaterphotography #uwphotography #underwaterworld #diving

O is for @omar_li Omar is part of the OG crew of

O is for @omar_li

Omar is part of the OG crew of @wideopenprojects

He is a fitness instructor in Barcelona and always promotes a healthy lifestyle to people around him. Describing Omar as an extroverted person is a massive understatement. He has a big heart ready to share knowledge and experiences and easily makes friends everywhere he goes 💚

Omar is an essential part of the WOP team: our relationships with local people and communities are strong and true in great part due to his genuine and loving nature.

Check out his work as head coach and director at @rockstarlifestylebarcelona 🤟🏽

#WOP #O #WideOpenProjects #RajaAmpat #community #nature #conservation #restoration

SECOND STEP OF REEL RESTORATION: CORAL FRAGMENT CO

SECOND STEP OF REEL RESTORATION: CORAL FRAGMENT COLLECTION!

The fragments collected are broken sections or new colonies that established on the unstable rubble. The healthy coral will likely die if not collected & would then contribute to adding dead coral to the rubble ☠️

Free diving or scuba diving, we collect fragments nearby the restored area at a similar depth and diversity of coral types.

📸: @ignasirodriguez

#WOP #WideOpenProjects #ReefRestoration #coralrestoration #savethereef #marinelife #marineconservation

#rajaampat #westpapua #wonderfulindonesia #Arborek #restoration #conservation #awareness #underwater #underwaterphotography #uwphotography #underwaterworld #freediving #reef #biodiversity

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