Bunaken

The 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 as well as many fish, mollusc, reptile and marine mammal species. The park is representative of Indonesian tropical water ecosystem, consisting of seagrass plain, coral reef, and coastal ecosystem.

It was established as a national park in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system or marine park. It covers a total area of 89.065,00 hectares, 97 % of which is marine habitat. The remaining of 3 % of the park is terestrial, 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. It is the geographical location at 124^o39' - 124^o35' East and 1^o35' - 1^o49 North, the temperature is about 26^oC - 31^oC, Altitude 0 - 800 m above sea level, weather clearness 10 - 30 m, rainfall 2.500 - 3.500 mm/year (on average).

A very  rich coral ecosystem covers most of Bunaken National Park, dominated by fringing reef and barier reef corals. A distinct feature is a 25 - 50 m vertical coral wall which is inhabited by 13 coral genus. The seaweed that can be found here include Caulerpa, Halimeda, and Padina species, while the dominant seagrasses, in particular in the island of Montehage and Nain are Thalassia hemprichii, Enhallus acoroides, and Thalassodendron ciliatum. The park is also abundan in different species of fish, marine mammal and reptiles, birds, moluscs and mangrove species.

The area is densely populated, with 22 villages inside the park comprising about 35.000 peoples. 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. Tourism is strongly developed, with accommodation ranging from backpacker cottages to 5 star resort.

The northern part of the park area covers the island of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Montehage, Siladen, Nain and Nain Kecil, and part of Tanjung Pisok coastal  area. The southern part of the park cover part of the Tanjung Kelapa coast.

On land, these islands are rich in species of palm, sagu, woka, silar and coconut. Among the animal species that live on the land and the  beaches are black-crested macaques (Macaca nigra nigra , Timor Deer (Cervus timorensis russa) and bear-cuscus (Ailurops ursinus ursinus).

The mangrove forest of the park contains, among others, Rhizophora sp., Sonneratia sp., Lumnitzera sp., and Bruguiera sp. This forest is also rich in species of crab, lobster, mollusc, and sea birds such as gulls, herons, sea doves, and storks.

The seaweed species that can be found here include Caulerpa spp. and Padina spp., while the dominant seagrasses, in particular in the island of Montehage and Nain are Thalassia hemprichii, Enhallus acoroides, and Thalassodendron ciliatum.

About 91 species of fish live in the waters of the park, among them being the Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator), Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana), Spotted Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda), Yellowstripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira), Four Saddle rock Cod (Ephinephelus spolotoceps), Pinkish Basslet (Pseudanthias hypselesoma), Two-lined Monocle Bream (Scolopsis bilineatus), etc., and species of mollusc such as The Great Clam (Tridacna gigas), Horned Helmet (Cassis cornuta), Pearly-chambered Nautili (Nautilus pompillius ), and Ascidians.


Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 730/Kpts-II/1991, October 15, 1991.