Yahoo News 22 Nov 10;
NUSA PENIDA, Indonesia (AFP) – Indonesia on Sunday declared the coral-rich waters around Bali -- a popular scuba diving spot which is home to the giant Mola-Mola ocean sunfish -- a protected zone.
The 20,000-hectare (49,500 acre) area around Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan islands will be protected from destructive fishing, waste dumping and coral mining, project leader Marthen Welly told AFP.
"Destructive fishing is carried out by fishermen using cyanide and explosives," Welly of the conservation group The Nature Conservancy (TNC) said.
"Many ships also throw anchors on the coral reefs and hotels and households dump wastes causing water pollution. Now they can't do these anymore," he said.
Guidelines for marine tourism will also be drawn up and zones carved out for various activities including fishing, tourism and seaweed mining, Welly said.
"We'll need to consult the community further and we hope to do this within six months," he added.
The islands are part of Coral Triangle, considered the world's richest underwater wilderness which stretches across six nations between the Indian and Pacific oceans -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Divers from all over the world arrive at the islands between July and September in the hope of seeing the Mola-Mola, a rare two-metre-long ocean sunfish.
The district government will provide 300 million rupiah (33,600 dollars) and aid agency USAID and TNC will each provide 50,000 dollars a year to run the project, TNC Indonesia director Arwandrija Rukma said.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said the project will contribute to the government's target of creating 20 million hectares of maritime conservation parks by 2020, up from around 13 million currently.
"The establishment of MPA (Marine Protected Area) is a concrete step taken by the government to implement the plan of action under the Coral Triangle Initiative," he said.
The Coral Triangle Initiative, which was formed in 2007, calls for stronger international cooperation to combat illegal fishing and environmental destruction in an area half the size of the United States and home to half the world's coral reefs.
Indonesia, US Sign Up to Preserve Nusa Penida’s Marine Environment
Made Arya Kencana Jakarta Globe 21 Nov 10;
Nusa Penida, Bali. The Indonesian and US governments have announced a new initiative to establish a marine conservation area in the waters around Nusa Penida Island, to the southeast of Bali.
The conservation area will cover 200 square kilometers of waters around the island, and become part of the larger national conservation area totalling 200,000 square kilometers across the archipelago by 2020.
The Nusa Penida initiative has already received Rp 100 billion ($11.2 million) in funding from USAID, through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership, according to Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad.
Of the fund, Rp 960 million will go toward helping seaweed farmers improve productivity, as part of the government’s target to boost seaweed production in Nusa Penida from 117,000 tons a year to 500,000 tons a year.
Fadel said the richness of the marine diversity around Nusa Penida deserved to be studied in greater depth.
“We’ll manage this conservation area in the same way that Brazil successfully manages the Amazon,” he said at a ceremony to inaugurate the area on Sunday.
The biodiversity around the island, he added, was apparent in a 2009 marine survey performed by scientists Emre Turak and Gerry Allen, which uncovered 296 coral species and 576 fish species, five of which were previously undiscovered.
Fadel also noted that a study by the Nature Conservancy’s Indonesian Marine Program had found 1,419 hectares of coral reef, 230 hectares of mangrove forest with 13 species of mangroves, and 108 seaweed patches with eight types of seaweed.
“We’ll also build a seaweed cultivation center here as well as a seaweed processing plant,” the minister said.
“In addition, we’ll build fish processing plants so that the fish caught in these waters will be ready and packed for shipment.
“We’ll also enlist the local community’s assistance in helping safeguard the waters.”
He added other aims of establishing the conservation area included to encourage fishermen to adopt sustainable fishing practices, and to boost tourism in the area.
US Ambassador Scot Marciel, who also attended Sunday’s event, said Indonesia was well-placed to support global conservation efforts, which made it an important partner for the United States, including in efforts to preserve marine ecosystems.
“We see the marine environment as key to the sustainability of humans,” Marciel said.
Indonesia Aims To Create 20 Million Hectare Conservation Area
Bernama 22 Nov 10;
JAKARTA, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Indonesia has targetted to create up to 20 million hectares of conservation area by 2020 as part of a concrete step to implement the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Antara news agency reported Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad as saying Monday.
Currently Indonesia has 13 million hectares of conservation area, he said in in a press statement.
On Sunday, the minister inaugurated a marine conservation area in Nusa Penida, Bali, in a move to protect marine and coastal life as well as to encourage sustainable marine tourism.
The inauguration followed an ecological study conducted by a number of world marine experts such as Emre Turak and Gerry Allen last year.
The results of the study suggest that the 20,057-hectare marine conservation area holds 296 kinds of coral species and 576 kinds of fish species, five of them new fish species.
Meanwhile, the results of a survey made by TNC Indonesia Marine Programme showed that the Nusa Penida waters has 1,419 hectares of coral reefs and 230 hectares of mangrove consisting of 13 kinds.
Fadel said the creation of conservation areas in Nusa Penida and the rest of the country was a concrete step taken by the government to implement the CTI launched by Indonesia, along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.
The Coral Triangle is an expanse of ocean covering 2.3 million square miles (5.7 million km2). This area, sometimes referred to as the "Amazon of the Seas", is the epicenter of marine life abundance and diversity on the planet.
In some areas, it has more than 600 coral species (more than 75 percent of all known coral species), 53 percent of the world's coral reefs, 3,000 fish species, and the greatest extent of mangrove forests of any region in the world.
In addition, the Coral Triangle serves as the spawning and juvenile growth areas for what is the largest tuna fishery in the world.
In December 2007, at the CTI meeting in Bali, the six countries agreed on a plan of action to move the initiative forward and ensure the region's marine resources sustainability.
-- BERNAMA
US supports creation of Indonesia's seven marine protected areas
Antara 22 Nov 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The US government supports Indonesia in establishing seven marine protected areas at critical places along Indonesia`s coasts, according to a US embassy press release here on Monday.
US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel joined the Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad in launching the first Marine Protected Area in Indonesia on Sunday (Nov 21) in Nusa Penida, Bali, it said.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Marine Resources Program is supporting the Indonesian government to establish seven Marine Protected Areas at critical places along Indonesia`s coasts.
The five year program valued at 10 million dollars aimed to help the Indonesian government in restoring and enhancing the productivity of marine ecosystems, ensure biodiversity and resilience for food and economic security.
Besides it is also to increase the resilience of natural ecosystems and coastal communities to adapt to climate change and reduce risks from disasters.
"Our common goal for Nusa Penida is to turn the decline in marine resources around by 2013 and have this marine protected area effectively providing sustainable fisheries, marine tourism, and local community livelihoods," Ambassador Marciel said.
There are also other US agencies apart from the USAID, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and the Department of Justice are providing program research and technical support in fulfilling these goals.
It is estimated that 60 million of Indonesians are directly depending on marine resources for their livelihoods and that fish is the source of 60 percent of the protein consumed in Indonesia.
Today critical marine and coastal resources are under significant and increasing threat.
The existing habit of poor management, over-fishing, unsustainable fishing practices, land-based sources of marine pollution, coastal habitat conversion and climate change are leading to significant declines in productivity.
These growing threats must be taken seriously if Indonesia is to protect marine and coastal resources for future generations.(*)
Indonesia aims to create 20 million ha conservation area
Antara 22 Nov 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has set itself the target of creating up to 20 million hectares of conservation area by 2020 as part of a concrete step to implement the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), a minister said.
Right now Indonesia had 13 million hectares of conservation area, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said in a press statement on Monday.
On Sunday (Nov 21), the minister inaugurated a marine conservation area in Nusa Penida, Bali, in a move to protect marine and coastal life as well as to encourage sustainable marine tourism.
The inauguration followed an ecological study conducted by a number of world marine experts such as Emre Turak and Gerry Allen last year.
The results of the study suggest that the 20,057-hectare marine conservation area holds 296 kinds of coral species and 576 kinds of fish species, five of them new fish species.
Meanwhile, the results of a survey made by the TNC Indonesia Marine Program show the Nusa Penida waters has 1,419 hectares of coral reefs and 230 hectares of mangrove consisting of 13 kinds.
Fadel said the creation of conservation areas in Nusa Penida and the rest of the country was a concrete step taken by the government to implement the CTI launched by Indonesia, along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.
The Coral Triangle is an expanse of ocean covering 2.3 million square miles (5.7 million km2). This area, sometimes referred to as the "Amazon of the Seas", is the epicenter of marine life abundance and diversity on the planet.
In some areas, it has more than 600 coral species (more than 75 percent of all known coral species), 53 percent of the world`s coral reefs, 3,000 fish species, and the greatest extent of mangrove forests of any region in the world.
In addition, the Coral Triangle serves as the spawning and juvenile growth areas for what is the largest tuna fishery in the world.
In December 2007, at the CTI meeting in Bali, the six countries agreed on a plan of action to move the initiative forward and ensure the region`s marine resources sustainability.(*)
