By: Adella Adiningtyas (Marine & Fishery Campaign and Social Media Assistant)

It's not uncommon to find a lot of plastic waste scattered on the coast, showing that there are still tourists who are less aware of the impact of their behavior on nature. "Responsible marine tourism is an activity that protects the environment. Take nothing but pictures. In addition, community participation can be done by inviting others to protect the environment, such as having the courage to reprimand when you see other tourists' irresponsible activities." Trinity, writer and travel blogger.

As an actress and environmental activist, Nadine Chandrawinata, revealed that travelers have a role as actors as well as supervisors when in conservation areas. According to Nadine, in today's digital era, we can make changes for nature by spreading positive information through social media accounts. In the middle of the press conference, WWF-Indonesia conducted a video call with Ramon Tungka who was in Raja Ampat at the time. Ramon shared his first-hand experience of visiting one of Indonesia's conservation areas.

There is an interesting story shared by Devina, Miss Scuba Indonesia 2016, while traveling in a conservation area in Sulawesi. At that time Devina received a warning from foreign tourists because of the large amount of garbage found in the coastal area. At first, Devina felt surprised and embarrassed because she received a negative comment from one of the foreign visitors. However, then Devina realized that we must foster a sense of responsibility in ourselves to love nature. Because according to Devina, if we already love nature we will be willing to do anything to keep nature sustainable.

WWF-Indonesia invites the public to participate in protecting Indonesian waters through a campaign called #TemanTamanLaut. At a press conference held on March 2, 2017, WWF-Indonesia also appealed to take concrete action in the management of marine conservation areas by downloading the Marine Buddies android-based smartphone application. "Through the Marine Buddies application, the public can play an active role with three simple steps, namely recognizing marine protected areas in Indonesia, visiting and supporting the implementation of responsible marine activity practices and overseeing their management by reporting irresponsible marine activities," explained Dewi Satriani in a press conference held at Lot8 Resto, in Jakarta's SCBD area.

Indonesia's seas are the center of the world's marine biodiversity. Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove ecosystems, fish nesting sites and marine biota migration routes must be protected. So that the beauty of our seas becomes the main attraction of Indonesia's tourism potential. However, currently threats to coastal habitats continue to occur intensively and spread in several regions continuously. The population of marine resources in 2012 had declined by 50% since 1970. Only 5.32% of coral reefs were in excellent condition and 30% were damaged. Even coral reefs are predicted to be extinct by 2050 as a result of climate change, you see.

Traveling while becoming an agent of change is very necessary. At the end of the event, the speakers invited the public to become #Friends of the Marine Park and download the Marine Buddies application on your smartphone.