“Cenderawasih Bay” : The Largest Marine National Park in Indonesia

Divers playing with Whale Sharks

nusantaraberdaya.com - Indonesia is a country that has a very high wealth and potential for biodiversity, especially marine diversity spread throughout the region. One of the marine areas in Indonesia that has enormous potential in developing tourist destinations is the Cenderawasih Bay National Park area.

Cenderawasih Bay is an aquatic national park that has enormous ecological potential, especially in the diversity of coastal resources. The wealth of biodiversity, such as fish, turtles, marine mammals, seagrass, mangroves and mollusks is a unique and sustainable wealth in the Cenderawasih Bay area.

The Cendrawasih Bay area consists of tropical forests, mangroves and coral reef ecosystems that are very beautiful and are home to various species of flora and fauna to endemic species. Cendrawasih Bay National Park is a national park that has the widest waters in Indonesia.

The Cendrawasih Bay National Park is one of the real evidences of Indonesia's wealth which is located in the eastern part of Indonesia, precisely in the coral triangle area. Maybe we know the wealth of Papuan tourism only with Raja Ampat, but in fact, the Cendrawasih Bay National Park also has a beauty and charm that is not inferior to Raja Ampat or other marine areas.

Cendrawasih Bay National Park (TNTC) is a complete ecosystem charm, because it almost has ecosystem components as well as flora and fauna. Ecosystems in this area, such as coral reefs, beaches, mangroves and mainland tropical forests. Cendrawasih Bay National Park has a very high level of biodiversity.

Based on some data, it is stated that the existence of coral reef ecosystems in the Cendrawasih Bay National Park has recently experienced a decline in function, both ecologically and physically, so far various efforts have been made to preserve coral reefs in Cendrawasih Bay National Park.

TNTC is known for its four popular types of ecosystems, namely:

1. Coral Reef Ecosystem which includes: Barrier Reef, Patch Reef, Fringing Reef, Atoll, Shallow Water Reef and Tridacna Reef (Coral reefs are dominated by chemical species); 
2. Estuary ecosystems dominated by mangrove forest vegetation include: Mangroves (Rhizhipora), Api-api (Avicennia), Pidada (Sonneratia), Bruguiera Nypa and Metroxylon, these ecosystems are habitats for small fish, shrimp and mangrove crabs; 
3. Coastal ecosystem which has beautiful white sand and the dominance of land vegetation such as Sea Fir (Casuarina equisetifolia) and Ketapang (Terminalia catappa); 
4. Tropical Rain Ecosystem which is generally overgrown by Dipterocarpaceae vegetation types, this National Park has ecosystems such as coral reefs of approximately 5.5% that are able to amaze visitors, exotic beaches covering an area of ​​0.9%, Mangroves and tropical forests and islands which amount to 3.8%. And the rest is ocean waters covering an area of ​​89.8%.

Another uniqueness and privilege of TNTC is the presence of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) which can be found around the waters of Cenderawasih Bay. Thanks to the appearance of whale sharks around the Cenderawasih Bay National Park area, it has encouraged an increase in local and domestic tourist visits. 

In 2011, whale shark-based tourism began to develop in Cenderawasih Bay National Park. There are already two resorts in Teluk Cenderawasih National Park that serve and manage tours to see whale sharks, namely Ahe Resort based on Ahe Island and Kali Lemon Resort based in Kali Lemon, Kwatisore. Whale shark migration areas in Indonesia to date are the waters of Sabang, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Alor, Flores, North Sulawesi, Maluku and. Kwatisore waters is one of the areas in Cenderawasih Bay National Park (TNTC) which is a gathering place for whale sharks and is there all year round.

The appearance and interaction of whale sharks in Kwatisore waters is very closely related to the availability of the bagan as a place to play or find food. It should be noted that the appearance of whale sharks in the waters of TNTC compared to other waters in the world is unique, because in the waters of TNTC the appearance of the largest aquatic vertebrates takes place throughout the year. While their presence in other locations is seasonal.  

 

In Bentar Beach, Probolinggo, East Java, for example, it was found in December, January, April, and March. While in Ningaloo Reef, Australia, between March-July, and in Donsol, Philippines, usually between January-June with the best season between March-April. Meanwhile, the appearance of whale sharks in Kwatisore waters is found throughout the year which is a source of income for the local community through the management of marine tourism.  

Based on the identification of the Forestry Office Irja and BKSDA VIII, the diversity of fish species in the TNTC area is around 209 species consisting of 65 families. Around 31 species of coral reef indicator fish, several species of fish and endemic mammals were also found in TNTC.  Among them are Chantigaster, Pomachantus, Pseudanthias, Chaetodon, Amphiprion, Achantarus, Dugong (Dugong dugon), and Dolphins (Delphinus delphinus) and several types of turtles, including scaled turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas). It is estimated that 196 species of which 11 are protected.

Source: Jeki Anderson Nababan (lautsehat.id)