“While climate change and El Nino effects are far beyond our control, what exacerbates coral degradation in Okinawa are issues like unsustainable tourism, coastal developments and overfishing. It is precisely in these areas that some Okinawans have taken it into their own hands to conserve rare coral species and restore reefs in coral transplant sites.”

Bambby Cheuk, a final-year communication student who was in Okinawa for Go-Far 2019, an advanced journalism module. In August, 14 students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information spent 10 days there to get stories, photographs and videos.

This story was published in the Oct-Dec 2019 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.