Indonesiahas opened Southeast Asia's largest marine park in the Savu Sea, a migrationroute for almost half the world's whale species and home to vast tracts of rarecoral, the country's fisheries minister said.
Environmental groups, The Nature Conservancy and WWF will help set up thereserve, where efforts will be made to stamp out illegal practices such asdynamite and cyanide fishing. Tourism activities and subsistence fishing bylocals will be allowed but restricted to certain areas.
The Savu Marine National Park, launched at the World Ocean Conference inManado, Sulawesi, will cover 3.5 million hectares (8.649 million acres) in anarea of 500 species of coral, 14 species of whales and 336 species of fishliving in the Savu Sea near Flores in eastern Indonesia.
"(It is) potentially one of the largest marine protected areas in theCoral Triangle," Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddy Numberisaid on Wednesday.
He was referring to the biologically diverse coral reef network bounded by Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the SolomonIslands.
"About 14 species out of 27 -- meaning 50 percent -- species of whales inthe world migrate using this route from the Pacific Ocean, passing through theBanda Sea, Flores Sea and Savu Sea to the Indian Ocean," said Numberi.
Rili Djohani, The Nature Conservancy's marine expert, said the park willprotect sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and could help boost tuna stocks byprotecting their spawning grounds.
"It's a beautiful place and it's now the largest marine protected area inthe Coral Triangle," she said.
Environmental groups, The Nature Conservancy and WWF will help set up thereserve, where efforts will be made to stamp out illegal practices such asdynamite and cyanide fishing. Tourism activities and subsistence fishing bylocals will be allowed but restricted to certain areas.
The Savu Marine National Park, launched at the World Ocean Conference inManado, Sulawesi, will cover 3.5 million hectares (8.649 million acres) in anarea of 500 species of coral, 14 species of whales and 336 species of fishliving in the Savu Sea near Flores in eastern Indonesia.
"(It is) potentially one of the largest marine protected areas in theCoral Triangle," Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddy Numberisaid on Wednesday.
He was referring to the biologically diverse coral reef network bounded by Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the SolomonIslands.
"About 14 species out of 27 -- meaning 50 percent -- species of whales inthe world migrate using this route from the Pacific Ocean, passing through theBanda Sea, Flores Sea and Savu Sea to the Indian Ocean," said Numberi.
Rili Djohani, The Nature Conservancy's marine expert, said the park willprotect sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and could help boost tuna stocks byprotecting their spawning grounds.
"It's a beautiful place and it's now the largest marine protected area inthe Coral Triangle," she said.
Malukureefs have huge eco-tourism potential: Official
TheBanda Islands in Maluku are home to more than 60 percent (or 432) of theworld's 700 coral species, which is why most of the province's waters areincluded in the Coral Triangle, an official says.
Maluku is unique in that unlike any other Indonesian province, more than 90percent of its waters are included in the coral triangle, known for its highbiodiversity, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry research officialGellwynn Jusuf said.
"This area really has huge potential," Gellwynn told The Jakarta Postin Maluku on Monday.
The area's marine biodiversity had led the Indonesian government to come upwith the Coral Triangle Initiative - proposed for the first time during theAsia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) summit in 2007.
The initiative, Gellwynn said, was aimed at protecting coral reefs from damagecaused by global warming.
If managed optimally and effectively, Maluku's marine areas could yield higheconomic returns, he said. With vast areas of coral reefs, Maluku is rich infish and other sea biota including decorative fish species.
Fish species found in Maluku waters include the Black spotted Puffer, Trumpetfish, Anemones, Juvenile Damselfish, Porcupine fish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish,Scorpion Fish, Lizard fish, Moray Eels, Seahorses and Banded Sea Snakes.
Maluku is unique in that unlike any other Indonesian province, more than 90percent of its waters are included in the coral triangle, known for its highbiodiversity, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry research officialGellwynn Jusuf said.
"This area really has huge potential," Gellwynn told The Jakarta Postin Maluku on Monday.
The area's marine biodiversity had led the Indonesian government to come upwith the Coral Triangle Initiative - proposed for the first time during theAsia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) summit in 2007.
The initiative, Gellwynn said, was aimed at protecting coral reefs from damagecaused by global warming.
If managed optimally and effectively, Maluku's marine areas could yield higheconomic returns, he said. With vast areas of coral reefs, Maluku is rich infish and other sea biota including decorative fish species.
Fish species found in Maluku waters include the Black spotted Puffer, Trumpetfish, Anemones, Juvenile Damselfish, Porcupine fish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish,Scorpion Fish, Lizard fish, Moray Eels, Seahorses and Banded Sea Snakes.
