North Sumatra
Home to the islands of Simeulue and Bangkaru, Western Sumatra is a location fill with exotic fauna and breathtaking flora. This vast region is part of the diverse country of Indonesia, characterized by some of the most pristine rainforests, beaches, and reefs in the world.
About
Based on the islands of Simeulue and Bangkaru, North Sumatra, we offer expeditions for the philanthropic traveler that is seeking to adventure while learning about and helping protect Indonesia’s unique landscapes and biodiversity.
Our meaningful volunteer activities include assisting with anti-poaching turtle patrols on one of Indonesia’s most important turtle nesting sites, beach cleans and plastic up-cycling, reef and bird surveys, community education, camera trapping, organic gardening, along with activities such as yoga, surfing, jungle hikes and guided tours.
PROJECTS
Bangkaru Turtle Conservation Adventure
This is an adventure to one of the most remote and pristine islands on the planet. Mahi-Mahi Surf Resort was established to finance the turtle conservation programon this island, and we work with a government conservation agency and the incredible Aceh organization HaKA.
The island is located to the south-east of Simeulue within the Banyaks archipelago. Bangkaru is an uninhabited island with untouched primary rainforest, adjacent to white sand beaches fringed with coral reefs. Here volunteers conduct twice daily sea turtle patrols on Amandangan Beach (turtle beach) which stretches for 1 mile (1.7 kilometers).
The nesting site has a high level of poaching and you will be assisting the turtle rangers with their nightly and morning patrols and surveying the number nest and turtles. This includes logging the GPS coordinates of nests, monitoring lizard predation and searching for evidence of poaching.
Mincau and Babi Island Conservation
Mincau and Babi are small uninhabited islands off the coast of Simeulue. We are currently in the process of setting up ranger turtle conservation programs in these locations. Much like the program on Bangkaru, these will involve employing local rangers to patrol the island to eradicate poaching. Volunteers assist in scoping and initial baseline surveys, in order to gain an understanding of the islands turtle numbers and level of poaching threat.
Snorkelling and Reef Surveys
Simeulue and its surrounding islands are surrounded by coral reefs. It is no secret that coral reefs around the world are in real trouble, with58% of the world’s coral reefs now potentially threatened by human activity. Climate change and sea level rise, dynamite fishing and invasive species are threatening Indonesia’s reefs.
At Mahi-Mahi we are currently monitoring coral abundance and quality by participating in CoralWatch;a not-for-profit citizen science program based at The University of Queensland working with volunteers worldwide to increase understanding of coral reefs, coral bleaching and climate change. After each reef survey, we feed our data into CoralWatch’s global data set.
Bird Surveys
Simeulue is home to over 200 bird species, with up to 20 of these being either endemic species or subspecies. Because of Simeulue’s importance as a bird hotspot, part of the volunteer program is to monitor bird populations. There are currently two survey transects which are walked regularly. The data collected by volunteers is put towards a species list for Simeulue which can then be used to measure the increase or decrease in species diversity and relative abundance over time.
Community Education
We hold class sessions every Friday and Saturday afternoon. Mahi-Mahi’s weekly Nature Club allows children of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in conservation activities and practice their Indonesian and English language skills. We invite local students, as well as visiting children, to engage in activities relating to nature.
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Beach Cleans and Plastic Up-cycling
Plastic is detrimental to a number of species and fatalities due to ingestion or entanglement are common to a wide variety of marine species, including sea turtles. Volunteers are involved in the removal of rubbish and the clearing of debris from beaches to reduce the amount of waste in the ecosystem and as part of community engagement programs on Simeulue.
With the plastic cleaned up from the beach, Mahi-Mahi creates one of kind products in our in-house plastic factory.
Organic Gardening
Mahi-Mahi prides itself on green holistic living. We have a growing organic garden which provides the kitchen much of the food prepared for the guests. Our compost is made with the table scrapes from guest meals, along with green waste from landscaping the grounds.
Volunteers will help in the garden; planting seeds, weeding, tending to the compost, feeding the chickens, harvesting fresh fruits, and vegetables.
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