INDONESIA, Bunaken Island - July 2002
Community landing dock in exchange for no-take zones
Click photo to enlarge
Bunaken Island, the "crown jewel" of Bunaken National Park, encompasses approximately 1,300 hectares (five square miles) of land and reef and is home to over 3,000 native fishers-farmers. It is one of Asia's best-known dive destinations. Unfortunately, despite its national park status, the island's reef and seagrass beds have continued to degrade due to intense resource use pressures. In order to balance the diverse demands of fishing, dive tourism and biodiversity preservation, the Bunaken Concerned Citizen's Forum has worked with the Bunaken National Park Office to undertake a local-managed marine conservation plan including no-take zones and areas where only traditional (non-destructive) fishing techniques are allowed. In exchange for this sacrifice, Seacology is providing the community with a landing dock. This dock will help prevent chronic damage to coral reefs and seagrass beds caused by anchoring boats in shallow waters, and will allow for much easier access to and from the village at low tide.
UPDATE November 2003 - The village law delimiting the no-take zones and rules for Bunaken Village's reef zonation has been finalized. Construction of the dock is underway and is expected to be completed by late November.
UPDATE July 2004 - Construction of the dock was completed and an opening ceremony was held in March, officiated by the mayor of Manado. The dock measures 595 feet long and has a small wooden structure on the end to act as a control point for park entrance fee collection and a community guard post. Steel rods have been put in place in case the villagers want to add cement railings in the future.
UPDATE May 2008 - The dock continues to be used to prevent anchoring within the reef area and Bunaken Island fisherfolk are abiding the no-fishing zones. The NSWA (North Sulawesi Watersports Association) conducts regular patrols within the reserve to prevent poaching by fishers from other areas. Dive operators are reporting more fish variety in the area.
UPDATE June 2008 - An outbreak of Crown of Thorns starfish has occurred in the Bunaken National Park. Dive operators are currently working to remove the invasive species from the reefs, some reported as deep as 30 meters. Seacology staff will continue to monitor the progress.
