MPMX launches 500-seedling coral project off Pulau Messah
PT Mitra Pinasthika Mustika Tbk has inaugurated a four-year coral-transplantation programme in Desa Pasir Putih on Pulau Messah, Manggarai Barat, targeting 500 coral seedlings on 32 spider frames as part of its MPM Green Action 2026…
By Pandi Muktar
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 4 min read
Labuan Bajo — PT Mitra Pinasthika Mustika Tbk (MPMX) has launched a coral-transplantation programme in Desa Pasir Putih on Pulau Messah, Manggarai Barat, East Nusa Tenggara, targeting the planting of 500 coral seedlings using 32 spider frames as reef-rehabilitation structures over a four-year period.
The initiative is part of the company’s MPM Green Action 2026 sustainability programme, which focuses on marine ecosystem recovery and community-based conservation in areas linked to the wider Labuan Bajo tourism market, according to reports by national and regional media citing an MPMX statement.
Community-focused coral rehabilitation
Local outlets report that the programme’s formal inauguration in Desa Pasir Putih took place on 4 September 2026, following coordination with the Komodo National Park management authority, which recommended the Messah waters as a rehabilitation site in the park’s buffer zone.
The initial phase involves installing 32 spider-frame structures on the seabed as planting media and nursery platforms for coral fragments. According to coverage of the event, these frames are intended to support 500 coral seedlings while providing a focus point for long-term monitoring and maintenance by trained community members.
MPMX has positioned the Messah project as a way to combine reef restoration with economic resilience for coastal households. Company representatives have said the programme is designed to strengthen local capacity for conservation and marine-based livelihoods, not only to place coral structures in the water.
Training for fishers and tourism groups
Before planting began, MPMX organised education and training sessions for residents of Desa Pasir Putih, particularly local fishers and members of the village’s Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis).
According to reports from organisations covering the inauguration, participants received practical instruction in coral-nursery techniques, including selecting suitable coral fragments, attaching them to spider frames, caring for nursery structures and monitoring growth in designated rehabilitation plots.
Community leaders have publicly welcomed the programme. The village head of Pasir Putih was quoted in local media as saying that residents were involved from the planning stage and that the village administration is prepared to support continued cooperation to protect the marine environment and strengthen the local economy.
Scope and open questions for visitors
Media reports consistently state the key project parameters: a target of 500 coral seedlings, 32 spider frames deployed as planting media, a planned duration of four years and a focus area in the waters off Desa Pasir Putih on Pulau Messah.
Coverage to date, however, does not specify which coral species are being used, the exact planting depth or the methods for baseline assessment of reef condition at the site. Reports also do not clarify whether the 500 units refer to individual fragments, nursery-grown colonies or another form of planting material, nor do they detail the identity of any specialist conservation partners beyond the company and local community groups.
For divers and marine-tourism visitors, the project signals a new conservation effort in a buffer zone linked to the Labuan Bajo market, but the available reporting does not yet provide guidance on access rules, visitor protocols or whether the restoration plots will be formally opened for viewing.
Link to earlier mangrove work in Golo Sepang
The Pulau Messah coral programme builds on earlier environmental work by MPMX in Manggarai Barat. Between 2022 and 2025, the company and an affiliated entity ran a mangrove rehabilitation project in Muara Sungai Terang, Desa Golo Sepang.
According to business and environmental news reports citing company data, that mangrove initiative — branded as an EcoMangrove programme — planted 100,000 mangrove seedlings over approximately 10 hectares, with staged plantings culminating in an additional 40,000 seedlings during a fourth-year ceremony in August 2025.
Media coverage of both the mangrove and coral efforts emphasizes the company’s narrative that healthy coastal ecosystems can support fisheries, restore environmental functions and underpin marine tourism, while relying on collaboration between government agencies, park authorities, village administrations and local residents. Formal details of long-term monitoring responsibilities at Pulau Messah, beyond general references to periodic community-based checks, have not been elaborated in the reports reviewed.
Sources
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