Bunaken National Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bunaken National Park

Taman Nasional Bunaken

IUCN category II (national park)

Bunaken Island seen from Manado Tua Island.

Bunaken NP

Location in Sulawesi

Location North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Nearest city Manado

1°40′N 124°39′ECoordinates:
Coordinates
1°40′N 124°39′E
 Area 890 square kilometres (89,000 ha)

Established 1991

Visitors ca.35,000[1] (in 2003-06)

Governing body Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Bunaken National Park is a marine park in the north of Sulawesi island, Indonesia. The park is
located near the centre of the Coral Triangle, providing habitat to 390 species of coral[2] as well
as many fish, mollusc, reptile and marine mammal species. The Park is representative of
Indonesian tropical water ecosystems, consisting of seagrass plain, coral reef, and coastal
ecosystems.[3]
It was established as a national park in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing
system of marine parks. It covers a total area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is marine habitat. The
remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua,
Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. The southern part of the Park covers part of the Tanjung Kelapa
coast.[3]

Contents
[hide]

 1Geology
 2Flora and fauna
 3Human habitation and tourism
 4Conservation and threats
 5References
 6External links

Geology[edit]
North Sulawesi is considered to be a 'young' formation, of 5-24 million years of age. The region
has undergone explosive volcanism 1.5-5 million years ago, which resulted in the
volcanic tuff that characterizes the existing topography. Manado Tua is an inactive volcano
formed in a classical cone shape and rising over 600 m above sea level, the highest elevation in
the park. Bunaken Island also has volcanic origins with a significant amount of uplifted fossil
coral. Nain Island is also a dome-shaped island, 139m in height. Mantehage Island is relatively
flat and seems to be sinking into the sea. The island has extensive mangrove forest flats,
partially separated by saltwater channels. Siladen is a low-lying coral sand island with no
significant topography. Arakan-Wawontulap and Molas-Wori on the mainland of North Sulawesi
are relatively flat areas at the base of volcanic hills. The absence of a continental shelf allows the
coastal area of the park to drop directly down the continental slope. The sea depth between the
islands of the park is 200 to 1,840 metres.[4]

Flora and fauna[edit]

Bunaken National Marine Park, Manado

A very rich coral ecosystem covers most of Bunaken National Park, dominated by fringing
reefand barrier reef corals.[3] There are about 390 species of coral recorded in the waters of the
Park.[2] A distinct feature is a 25-50 metre vertical coral wall which is inhabited by 13 coral genus.
The seaweeds that can be found here include Caulerpa, Halimeda, and Padina
pavonica species, while the dominant seagrasses, in particular in the islands of Montehage and
Nain, are Thalassia hemprichii, Enhallus acoroides, and Thalassodendron ciliatum. The park is
also abundant in different species of fish, marine mammals and reptiles, birds, molluscs and
mangrove species.[3]
About 90 species of fish live in the waters of the park, among them being the emperor
angelfish, Almaco jack, spotted seahorse, bluestripe snapper, pinkish basslet and two-lined
monocle bream. The species of mollusc include the giant clam, horned helmet shells, chambered
nautilus, and ascidians.[3]
It is claimed that this park has seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii,[5] and more than
70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific.[6]
On land, the islands are rich in species of palm, sago, woka, silar and coconut. Among the
animal species that live on the land and the beaches are Celebes crested macaque, Timor Deer,
and Sulawesi bear cuscus. The mangrove forest of the Park contains, among
others Rhizophora and Sonneratia species. This forest is also rich in species
of crab, lobster, mollusc, and sea birds such as gulls, herons, sea doves, and storks.[3]

Human habitation and tourism[edit]

Nudibranch (Nembrotha cristata), a shell-less mollusc in the waters of Bunaken National Park

The area is densely populated, with 22 villages inside the park comprising about 35,000 people.
Most locals work as fishermen or farmers cultivating coconut, sweet potato, banana or seaweed
for export, while a small number are employed in tourism as dive guides, boat operators and
cottage staff.[7] Tourism is strongly developed, with accommodation ranging from backpacker
cottages to 5 star resorts.[8]Between 2003 and 2006 the number of visitors ranged from 32,000 to
39,000 of which 8,000-10,000 were international visitors for each year.[1]

Conservation and threats[edit]

Bunaken National Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's
marine parks. In 2005 Indonesia submitted an application to UNESCO for including the park on
the World Heritage List.[4] Despite its national park status and significant funding, the park has
suffered a slow, continuous degradation due to a number of threats including coral mining,
anchor damage, blast fishing, cyanide fishing, diving, and trash.[1] The World Wildlife
Fund provides conservation support in the National Park as part of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine
Eco-region Action Plan. This includes participatory enforcement and patrol, which resulted in
significant reduction of blast fishing.[9]

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c Management Advisory Board:Entrance fee collection data, retrieved 14-
December-2009
2. ^ Jump up to:a b E. Turak and L. DeVantie: Reef-building corals of Bunaken National Park: Rapid
ecological assessment of biodiversity and status, retrieved 15-December-2009
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Indonesia Ministry of Forestry: Bunaken National Park Archived February 10,
2010, at the Wayback Machine., retrieved 14-December-2009
4. ^ Jump up to:a b UNESCO: Bunaken NP, retrieved 14-December-2009
5. Jump up^ "North Sulawesi: Bunaken". Official Website of the North Sulawesi Tourism Promotion
Board. Archived from the original on 2011-04-11.
6. Jump up^ "Bunaken Diving Sites". Dive The World.
7. Jump up^ WWF: Bunaken NP fact sheet, retrieved 15-December-2009
8. Jump up^ Management Advisory Board, retrieved 14-December-2009
9. Jump up^ WWF: Bunaken, retrieved 14-December-2009
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunaken_National_Park
Bunaken is an island of 8 km², part of the Bunaken National Marine Park. Bunaken is located at
the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the
municipality of Manado. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island.

Other sides of Bunaken.

Bunaken National Park extends over an area of 890.65 km² of which only 3% is terrestrial,
including Bunaken Island, as well as the islands of Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen.
The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are up to 1,566 m deep in Manado Bay, with
temperatures ranging between 27 and 29 °C. It has a high diversity of - corals,
fish, echinoderms or sponges. Notably, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world,
occur in Bunaken. It also claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii,[1] and has
more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific.[2]
Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park has such a high level
of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter
currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This
is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of
the park. A snorkeler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of
butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies,
smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are
the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.
 References[edit]
1. Jump up^ "North Sulawesi: Bunaken". Official Website of the North Sulawesi Tourism Promotion
Board. Archived from the original on 2011-04-11.
2. Jump up^ "Bunaken Diving Sites". Dive The World.

External links[edit]
 Indonesia portal

Wikimedia Commons has

media related
to Bunaken.

 Bunaken travel guide from Wikivoyage

 North Sulawesi Tourism Promotion Board, Official Website of the North Sulawesi Tourism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunaken

Bunaken is an island, formerly part of Manado bay, is norther part of Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The
visitors can reach Bunaken by speed boat abour 30 minutes from Manado sea port. Around the Bunaken
Island, there is Bunaken Sea Garden which is part of Bunaken National Park. Overall, Bunaken is covers
an area of 75,265 hectares with five islands within, which is the island of Manado Tua, Bunaken Island,
Siladen Island, Mantehage Island island and the branch of it, Naen Island.
Bunaken marine park has 20 points dive spot with varying depth of up to 1344 meters. From those 20
diving points, the 12 points among them are around is Bunaken Island. Those twelve point dive are the
most frequently visited by the divers or tourist who want to enjoy the beauty of the underwater scenery.
Most of the 12 points dive in Bunaken Island is line from the southeast to the northwest of the island. In
this area, there are great underwater walls, also called the hanging walls, a giant rock walls that stand
vertically and curved upward. These rock walls are also a source of food for fish in the waters around
Bunaken Island.
While on Bunaken National Park, Bunaken National Park is a representative of Indonesian tropical water
ecosystems consist of mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and land / coastal ecosystems.
Potential mainland islands national park is rich in species of palm, sago, woka, silar and coconut. Animal
species that exist on the mainland and the coast are, Sulawesi black macaques (Macaca nigra nigra), deer
(Cervus timorensis russa), and polecat (Ailurops ursinus ursinus).
Mangrove plant species in the Bunaken National Park is Rhizophora sp., Sonneratia sp., Lumnitzera sp.,
And Bruguiera sp. This forest is rich with various kinds of crab, shrimp, mollusks and various types of sea
birds such as seagulls, storks, sea dove and Heron.
Approximately there are 91 species of fish found in the waters of Bunaken National Park, including fish
gusumi horse (Hippocampus horse), white oci (Seriola rivoliana), yellow tail lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira),
goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila trunk (Scolopsis bilineatus) , and
others.
Bunaken National Park can be reached through the port of Manado, Marina Nusantara Diving Centre
(NDC) in the District of Molas and Marina Blue Banter. From the Port of Manado using a motorboat to the
Siladen island is about 20 minutes, Bunaken Island about 30 minutes, Montehege island about 50 minutes,
and Nian Island about 60 minutes. If the visitors went from Blue Banter Marina with a yacht that is
available to the tourist areas on the island of Bunaken, it will be taken within 10-15 minutes, while to go
the diving spot from NDC using a speed boat can be reach in 20 minutes.
http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/north-sulawesi/bunaken_national_park.html