Sampela

Home to the Bajo community. They rely on fishing and seaweed to trade for everything they need. This village is not connected to the mainland in any way so they don't even have access to fresh water. Traditionally they free dive and spear fish but more recently have used less sustainable techniques like dynamite and cyanide. Operation Wallacea are working with them and the local government to try and find a way for them to have a steady income that won't destroy the fragile reef system. No conservation can succeed without the buy in of the local people and the most fragile and beautiful eco-systems are often in areas where people are more occupied with getting food on the table and, understandably, not with thinking about the long term effect on the environment. I think it's very easy to judge and think 'that's terrible!' but the issues surrounding conservation are so much more complicated that simply telling people that what they are doing is 'wrong'. 

We were quite a novelty whenever we visited with a schools group and quickly had a huge entourage of kids following us.  The extra pics show Hoga in the background, a small portion of the little people we had following us and a teenager on a boat, who was supposed to meet us at the dock and be our tour guide but 'eh, I'm busy!'