All’s well at Wakatobi, says resident marine biologist Julia Mellers

Julia Mellers, the marine biologist at Wakatobi, is applying cutting-edge techniques to monitor and protect the area’s coral reefs. She has introduced AI-assisted programs to assess reef health, revealing that Wakatobi’s reefs are healthier than many others globally. With community support, they aim to preserve this biodiversity and combat threats like coral bleaching. Ongoing research includes using environmental DNA to gather non-invasive data about reef species, further aiding their conservation efforts.