NRM News Archive
Issue 04, January 23, 2001
First Meeting of Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board
The Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (DPTNB) convened its first meeting on 10 January 2001 at the MUREX Dive Resort in Manado. The meeting was presided over by the Vice Governor
of North Sulawesi (Chairman of the DPTNB) and attended by not only the 15 members of the board but also concerned individuals from local villages, academia, environmental NGOs, marine tourism
operators and government officials from the Bureau of Economy and departments of tourism, fisheries, and environment. By all accounts the first meeting was a success, with all board members
in attendance and a focus on the urgent tasks at hand. The vice governor stressed that the DPTNB must focus immediately on conservation above all else, citing concerns that recent articles
in the Manado Post suggested an unhealthy focus by the Manado city government on tax income from Bunaken National Park. He pointed out that without proper management and a conservation focus,
the reefs of Bunaken could soon cease to provide ANY tax income to the government.
Having immediately set the tone in this manner, the Vice Governor led a brainstorming session on conservation programs/activities that are needed within the park. Suggested programs include:
A greatly augmented patrol system to stop illegal and destructive fishing practices in the park. Many urged a cooperative patrol system, including not only park rangers and water police but also villagers.
Waste management programs to curb the dismaying flow of plastic trash onto the reefs aimed at both the primary source of Manado city and sources from local villages.
A conservation education program aimed at both children and adults in the 21 villages in the park. This program would utilize a traveling conservation boat with a permanent teaching staff and outfitted with slide shows,
coloring and cartoon books, posters, and snorkeling gear to show the children the reefs.
Environmentally-friendly development projects in the park's villages to reward cooperation with conservation. An example is a jetty for Bunaken village to prevent further destruction of the reef at low tide.
Development of ecotourism opportunities for villagers, including promotion of a trail to the peak of Manado Tua volcano and a mangrove boardwalk on Mantehage Island and a coral reef natural history course for
villagers wishing to lead glass-bottom boat tours for local tourists.
Scholarship program for village children within the park to attend high school and university.
A tourist information center on Bunaken Island to highlight not only the natural history of the park but also the culture of the villages therein.
The brainstorming session ended by discussion of funding mechanisms for these suggested programs. Two major funding sources are anticipated: revenue from the new Bunaken National Park entrance fee system
(80% of which is for use by the DPTNB for conservation activities) and grants from international donors. Given this situation, the DPTNB discussed three major initiatives needed: formulation of a first year work plan
including prioritization of the abovementioned conservation programs, implementation of the entrance fee system to begin generating income immediately, and recruitment of a professional Executive Secretariat for day-to-day
management of these programs and solicitation of grants from international donors. The Vice Governor then divided the board into three work teams to pursue these initiatives, with a plan to reconvene the DPTNB within two weeks
to act upon the recommendations of the work teams.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM Program
flotsam@manado.wasantara.net.id
Issue 03, January 17, 2001
Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board Sworn In by Minister of Forestry
NRM/EPIQ's continued focus on charting a new course for effective management of Bunaken National Park made giant strides towards the end of last year. On 16 December 2000,
the Minister of Forestry, accompanied by the Director General for Nature Conservation (PKA), presided over a swearing-in ceremony of the Bunaken National Park Management
Advisory Board (DPTNB). After an early morning tour of Bunaken's reefs with a semi-submersible, the Minister welcomed the 15 members of the DPTNB, while strongly urging
to take immediate action to reverse the degradation of Bunaken's reefs before it is too late. The following is a transcript of the acceptance speech from Bunaken Pastor
Janny Lompoliu, chairman of the Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken and new secretary of the DPTNB.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, with the official announcement of the Governor's decree that formalizes the DPTNB, we are proud to enter into a new era of effective, community-based management of Bunaken National Park.
The historic formation of the multistakeholder DPTNB and the passing of the revolutionary Bunaken National Park entrance fee system as a provincial law will finally allow a sustainable means
of funding and managing conservation activities within the Bunaken National Park.
For almost 10 years, the people and government of North Sulawesi have enjoyed the international publicity and economic benefits from the 10% tax on all tourist activities associated with Bunaken National Park.
Bunaken has made Manado famous in areas as distant as New York, Switzerland and Italy, and has been a large reason for our newly christened international airport. Sadly, however, Bunaken National Park itself
and the almost 30,000 inhabitants of the park have hardly received any benefits during this ten year period.
Fortunately, we have been presented with an excellent opportunity to change the management of Bunaken National Park and include all primary stakeholders in the community. The Directorate of
Nature Conservation (PKA), which maintains jurisdiction over all national parks even in the era of decentralization, has wisely and generously offered a two-year trial period to manage the Bunaken
National Park under a decentralized multistakeholder system. We thank the Director General of PKA and the Minister of Forestry for this opportunity that we are confident will allow us to reverse the situation
in Bunaken and allow the reefs of Bunaken to return to their former majesty.
Under this revolutionary new plan, management of the Bunaken National Park will no longer rely solely upon the Bunaken National Park office (BTNB), but will include inputs from all stakeholders. This includes villagers
(via the Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken National Park), the private tourism sector, environmental NGO s, academia, and government officials from the city of Manado, district of Minihasa and province of North Sulawesi.
The DPTNB will have as its two primary goals:
- the coordination of all activities within the park by any government agency with authority there. This is very important to avoid the possibility of conflicting policies and development within the park.
- the formulation and funding of conservation programs within the park. Examples of important priority programs include: conservation education for children in all 21 villages in the park, enforcement and patrols
to stop destructive activities such as bomb and cyanide fishing that destroy the future of Bunaken, waste and trash management programs, and development programs aimed at villages within the park to reward the citizens who protect the reefs.
The DPTNB consists of 15 seats representing all stakeholders in the park, including:
- Vice Governor of North Sulawesi (chairman)
- President of North Sulawesi Watersports Association (vice chairman)
- Chairman of Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken (secretary)
- Dean of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Sam Ratulangi
- Head of Bunaken National Park Management Office (BTNB)
- Secretary of Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken
- Chairman, Southern District of Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken
- Chairman, Island District of Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken
- Chairman, Northern District of Forum of Concerned Citizens of Bunaken
- Chairman, North Sulawesi Branch of WALHI (the Indonesian Environmental Forum)
- Head of Tourism Department, North Sulawesi
- Head of Fisheries Department, North Sulawesi
- Head of Environmental Impact Assessment Department, North Sulawesi
- Head of Environmental Impact Assessment Department, Minihasa District
- Head of Environment Department, Manado City
Each seat on the DPTNB has an equal and single voice in all policy decisions, which will be made in a transparent and democratic manner. The DPTNB itself is largely an advisory body that will meet at most
twice a month, while the day-to-day activities of Bunaken management will be run by an executive secretariat of paid conservation professionals to be hired by the DPTNB. In the immediate future,
the most important work of the DPTNB will be to formulate and prioritize the conservation programs to be funded in the park and to recruit the executive secretariat to carry out these programs.
The activities and conservation programs of the DPTNB will be funded by the new Bunaken National Park entrance fee system, which will contribute 80% of the funds collected directly to the board. It is
anticipated that this entrance fee system will cover the normal operating costs of the DPTNB and its conservation programs, while additional funding for conservation will also be obtained from grants from
international and domestic donors. Already many international diving and conservation organizations are announcing their support for the new Bunaken management, and we are confident that additional conservation
funding will be easy for the DPTNB to attract.
It is very important to note that the formation of the management board will in no way prevent or interfere with any conservation activities currently being implemented in the park. Important work by BTNB and
environmental NGO's like Kelola, Suara Nurani, and FPK and government programs such as COREMAP and the JICA coral reef project are all strongly encouraged by the DPTNB and in fact may be eligible to receive funding
from the board. The overall goal of all of these institutions is conservation of Bunaken National Park, and there is no reason for conflict amongst them. However, because many of these programs focus on only one or a
few villages within the 80,000 hectare park of 21 villages, it is clearly necessary for a larger, more inclusive management body such as the DPTNB to coordinate activities and ensure that effective conservation is
realized in ALL parts of the park, not just a few villages.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are very thankful to the Director General of PKA and the Minister of Forestry for presenting us this historic opportunity to create a model for effective community-based management of a national
park in Indonesia, and we promise that we will succeed in this venture! Never before has such a management system been attempted for a national park in Indonesia, but we are confident that the DPTNB will make tremendous
strides forward in making Bunaken National Park the best managed marine park in Asia. Long Live Bunaken!
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM Program
flotsam@manado.wasantara.net.id
Issue 02, January 09, 2001
Entrance Fee System for Bunaken National Marine Park
In accordance with North Sulawesi Provincial Law Number 14/2000 (passed in late December 2000), all visitors to Bunaken National Marine Park will now be required to pay an entrance fee. As stipulated by this law,
all foreign (non-Indonesian citizen) guests will be required to purchase an entrance tag for Rp 75,000 (approximately US$8) before entering the park. The plastic entrance tags, which are valid for a full calendar
year, must be carried at all times the guest is within park boundaries and can easily be affixed to guests diving or snorkelling gear. Indonesian citizens are also required to pay an entrance fee, though using a
daily ticket system of Rp 2,500 per day. This entrance fee system has been adapted from the highly successful Bonair Marine Park system and is expected to greatly facilitate financing of conservation activities in Bunaken.
Entrance tags and tickets can be purchased through marine tourism operators based in Manado and in the Bunaken National Park, or can be purchased from one of two ticket counters in Bunaken and Liang villages on Bunaken Island.
Enforcement of the entrance fee system will be conducted via spot checks by park rangers on land and at sea.
All proceeds from sales of the tags and tickets will be managed by the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (DPTNB), a multistakeholder board established by governor's decree No. 233/2000 and consisting of dive operators,
environmental organizations, academia, pertinent government officials and villagers from within the park. The BNPMAB will utilize these funds to finance a number of high priority conservation programs in the park, including patrols
and enforcement to abolish destructive fishing practices, control and disposal of plastic and other wastes entering the park's waters, marine conservation education of village children and adults, and reef and mangrove rehabilitation.
A bi-annual report of the programs funded by the entrance fee system will be published and made available publicly every 6 months. Additionally, a public audit of the entrance fee account will be conducted each year and made available
to all interested parties. We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation with this system. Conservation of Bunaken's spectacular marine habitats requires funding, and your entrance fee is a valuable contribution to saving Bunaken's reefs.
Reed Merrill
Protected Areas and Forest Management Advisor
NRM Program
reedm@nrm.or.id
