Toli Toli Labengki Volunteers Giant Clam Conservation is the first of Volunteers Giant Clam Conservation in Indonesia, especially in South East Sulawesi, which it has been preserved about seven species of Giant Clam (Tridacna) of Tridacna Rosewatery, Tridacna Gigas, Tridacna Derasa, Tridacna squamosa, Tridacna Maxima, Tridacna Crocea, Hippopus - Hippopus and Hippopus Porcellanus, and the new candidate species name it "Kimaboe" from nine species know in the World. This conservation is expected to be Marine Laboratory Base on the high seas for purposes of Education, Research, Tourism, etc.
We are people from a small villages, name it Toli Toli Village, Sub-district Lalonggasumeeto, Konawe Regency, Kendari, South East Sulawesi, felt compelled to do something for Saving the ocean, particularly the marine environment and its contents, due to a sense of concern over the fact that there is some large marine biota has been on the verge of extinction.
Exploitation of marine biota and the current results were already over, not only by fishermen, but also by the fishing companies for various purposes. In Indonesia especially in Kendari and Konawe Regency, South East Sulawesi (Celebes), nowadays the condition was very alarming, especially plants and coral reefs, including the Giant Clam, are increasingly worried.
Exploitation of these activities can be ascertained the survival of the endangered marine biota, the process of the exploitation are usually using potassium cyanide and explosives to reproduce the catch and it has been damaged and destroyed various marine biota, also including the Giant Clam (Tridacna). Now the Giant Clam is increasingly scarce and rarely found, and tend to become extinct.
The Giant Clam (Tridacna) meat consumption by many people because it has high protein levels to become a special menu in a restaurant, and made their shell as decorative accoutrements and became one of the raw materials for ceramics, the Giant Clam much hunted by the various groups that make life increasingly threatened.
Other causes that made Giant Clam more rare is a slow growth rate. To reach 100 cm in length, giant clam need a time to grow up to hundreds of years, egg of the giant clam always been coveted by other creatures, especially fish. From the millions of eggs (female eggs have a diameter of 100 micrometres - about 0.0039 in. Egg release initiates the reproductive process. An adult Tridacna gigas can release more than 500 million eggs at a time) which can be survive is just a few dozen only, in addition most of the giant clam live in warm tropical waters, thats why most of the giant clam found around ASEAN countries plus Korea, China and some Eastern, Northern Australia, Southern part of Central Asia, Africa and South America.
Giant Clam is known has nine species, namely is Tridacna Gigas, Tridacna Derasa, Tridacna Squamosa, Tridacna Maxima, Tridacna Crocea, Tridacna Tevoroa, Tridacna Rosewatery, Hippopus-Hippopus and Hippopus Porcellanus and live in the shallow sea to a depth of about 20 meters. Each species can be recognized by their shell. There is a scaly, soft, thick, thin, and skin color and shape.
Giant clams is the one of the most important organisms for the ocean and coral reef, their tissues are food for a wide array of predators and scavengers, while their discharges of live zooxanthellae, faeces, and gametes are eaten by opportunistic feeders. The shells of giant clams provide substrate for colonization by epibionts, while commensal and ectoparasitic organisms live within their mantle cavities, the Giant clams use symbiotic zooanthallae algae to produce a shell that adds to the reef structure. In addition to this, it filtering and cleaning the water so they can provide nutrients to their animal host by photosynthesis. These sea creatures turn out to be multitasking ecosystem engineers. They are reef builders and shapers, food factories, shelters, reservoirs of algae, and water filters, all rolled in one.
Giant Clam is the savior for ocean, for every single giant clam able to filter and clean of tons seawater per day from various types of particles. From the results of these filters, the sea water may becomes clean and then became auxiliary to the growth and maintain the color of coral reefs, fish and other marine biota.
Our Team concentration for the preservation of the environment, especially the Giant Clam for saving our ocean, and empower coastal communities and fishermen, both insight and economically.
Thank you for your visiting.
Best Regards,
Conservation Team
