The Mangrove Information Center in Kuta Bali-part I

The Mangrove Information Center is a tourist attraction close to Kuta that will get you feeling like Tarzan. I had passed the center many times before but never stopped to check it out. Heading towards Sanur on the Bypass from the roundabout at Simpang Siur, I rode another 500 meters and after crossing the bridge looked to my right and saw the entrance. Riding a bit further I was able to pull into the center lane and swing a U-turn without getting flattened by a truck (very important to consider when in Bali). Driving another 500 meters down the entrance road I finally came to a small collection of buildings. There were no tour buses, or signs of tourism, so I just walked inside and asked questions.

A hundred years ago mangrove forests extended from Sanur to Nusa Dua and were a natural part of the ecosystem here. Nowadays they have been depleted in favor of construction and this project is aimed at helping their renewal. Why, you might ask, would anyone care about a swamp? Isn't that just useless land? I think the mangrove area in Kuta is a distant relative of the Florida Everglades. The Everglades is a 6ft deep sheet of fresh water that moves southwards at a rate of 200 meters a day. Certainly a very unique biological environment and here in Bali we have a tiny version of that, providing habitat for many creatures.