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Understanding the critical role of whale sharks in our ocean ecosystem
Whale sharks regulate plankton populations, keeping the entire ocean food web in balance, protecting biodiversity, fisheries, and even carbon cycles in the ocean.
Indonesia is home to one of the most important whale shark populations globally.
As the world's largest archipelagic nation, with 70% of its territory covered by the ocean, Indonesia provides critical habitat for whale sharks.
Key aggregation sites like Saleh Bay (Sumbawa) and Cendrawasih Bay (Papua) attract large numbers of whale sharks, making them globally significant for research, tourism, and conservation.
Recently, the Southern Java coast has emerged as another crucial area. The challenge here is strandings, which threaten migrating populations that connect Indonesia to Australia's Ningaloo Reef and beyond.
Along the Southern Java coast, whale shark strandings have become more frequent. Local communities are often the first responders, yet many lack the training, tools and resources to handle these events effectively. Without timely response, strandings can result in higher mortality and lost opportunities to protect whale sharks that are critical to global populations.
Despite their ecological importance, whale shark conservation is not widely understood. Millions of Indonesians, especially young people, remain unaware of the threats facing these gentle giants and the role they can play in protecting them.
By engaging millions of DANA users through quizzes and interactive play, Ocean Buddy raises awareness about whale sharks and marine conservation in a fun, relatable way.
Every impact coin converted will be used to support Konservasi Indonesia’s on-the-ground efforts, from community capacity building for whale shark strandings to protecting critical marine habitats.
Ocean Buddy is a mini program with activities such as games and quizzes that lets you learn about ocean challenges along the Southern Java Coast while helping protect the whale shark's home.
In collaboration with Ant International and Konservasi Indonesia (KI).
Three simple steps to start making a difference for whale shark conservation
Collect EXP / Impact Coins by playing collect the trash game, answering daily quizzes, and daily check-ins.
Collect and stack your Impact Coins, every 500 Impact Coins equal to 1 meter of whale shark conservation area.
Convert your Impact Coins into real action that supports whale shark conservation and makes whale shark lives better.
Watch how Ocean Buddy turns gaming into ocean conservation
Available on DANA App - Start your ocean conservation journey today
Everything you need to know about Ocean Buddy and how it works