T

he Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry on Sunday officially launched the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area to protect rich marine resources and support marine tourism and fishery for the livelihood of islanders.

The 20,057-hectare area is a collaborative effort by residents of Nusa Penida, Klungkung regency, the Nature Conservancy (TNC) Indonesia Marine Program with the support of USAID-Coral Triangle Support Partnership.

It is the first marine protected area established in Bali under this program.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said the protected area would contribute to the government’s target to protect coastal ecosystems and 20 million hectares of marine area by 2020.

“This is also a concrete step to implement the Coral Triangle Initiative that Indonesia established along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands,” he said at the launching ceremony.

Nusa Penida was chosen as a marine protected area because it has the highest marine biodiversity, especially coral reefs, in Bali, Klungkung Regent I Wayan Candra said.

“People can also find sunfish, the icon of Nusa Penida, which is a big draw for divers from around the world,” he said.

Sunfish that are two meters long and weigh around 1 ton usually appear between July and September. They live in many tropical waters, but their appearance in Nusa Penida is predictable.

Nusa Penida is also home to 296 species of coral reefs and 576 species of fish, with five of them identified as new species, according to a marine ecology study by international experts.

TNC Indonesia’s survey showed that there were 1,142 hectares of coral reefs, 230 hectares of mangrove forest with 13 mangrove species, as well as 108 sea grass fields containing eight species of sea grass.

The establishment of this protected area is currently in the process of zoning, long-term planning and forming management bodies, TNC Indonesia director Arwandrija Rukma said.

Long-term funding for this program is provided by the Klungkung regency, which will allocate around Rp 300 million per year, and USAID and TNC, which will allocate around US$50,000 per year, he said.

“With the support and involvement of stakeholders, the effective and appropriate management of the Nusa Penida is a real possibility. We expect this program to be economically beneficial to locals in the long run.”

Nusa Penida is located next to the two smaller islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan.

Various issues are expected to be addressed through the establishment of the conservation zone, including improving the condition of coral reefs and other marine resources and protecting local sources of livelihood.

Most of the Nusa Penida coastal area is used for seaweed cultivation, the main source of livelihood for islanders.

The area has rapidly changed into a marine tourism magnet visited by a large number of tourists for snorkeling, diving and sightseeing.

However, despite an increase in visitor numbers every year, Nusa Penida is still classified as an impoverished area.

The protected area is also designed to be a learning site for education and training purposes, TNC deputy director for training and learning Subijanto said.

“The area is perfect for a learning site because it is quite small but has rich marine biodiversity.”