NRM News Archive
Issue 34, November 13, 2001
Successful New Model for Zonation Revision of Manado Tua Island
Almost one year after NRM/EPIQ's Bunaken team reported the successful participatory revision of the park zonation system for Bunaken Island, we are proud
to report a new model for zonation revision in Bunaken National Park. Although the participatory revision of Bunaken Island's zonation was highly successful
and ground-breaking in many respects (in particular the efforts to include ALL socioeconomic groups within the village in the participatory process), this
approach was extremely time consuming - requiring 44 meetings over the course of 8 months. In an attempt to speed up the zonation revision process on
Mantehage Island, NRM/EPIQ decided in early 2001 to utilize local NGO partner staff for quicker results. While this approach achieved respectable results
during the first few months, the revision process eventually became mired in village politics and has in large part stagnated.
A second attempt to develop a rapid participatory zonation revision model on Manado Tua Island has achieved impressive results to date. In this model,
NRM/EPIQ utilized a number of local villagers as community zonation facilitators, while at the same time maintaining an almost constant presence on the
island with a zonation specialist (Roy Pangalila). Local Manado Tua representatives of the Bunaken National Park Concerned Citizen's Forum (FMPTNB) received
intensive training on the zonation revision process (including a background on the current zonation system, its perceived flaws, a plan for participatory
revision involving ALL levels of village society, and instructions on the need for a truly democratic approach in finding compromise solutions to resource
conflicts) during a two-day workshop on the island in late August. At the conclusion of this workshop, the community facilitators formulated a plan for a
series of revision meetings designed to reach all segments of the village society. In this particular case, the facilitators chose to finely divide the
island geographically into 16 settlement areas, and vowed to socialize the meetings in advance in order to achieve widespread representation at all meetings
(elders, teachers, women, traditional and pelagic fishers, and teenagers).
The community facilitators, supported by NRM's zonation revision team and BTNB park rangers, then pursued an aggressive schedule of 20 village meetings
between 12 September and 20 October that has now led to a draft zonation plan that includes two tourism zones, two core conservation zones, and 3 large
village use zones - each with explicit rules. It should also be noted that this draft zonation plan accommodates the suggestions of the North Sulawesi
diving community as represented by the North Sulawesi Watersports Association.
The draft zonation plan (including color zonation maps) will be distributed to each of the 600 plus families on Manado Tua Island over the next week,
who will be given two weeks to read and review the plan. Three finalization meetings (where villagers will add any last minute small changes to the plan)
will be held in mid November, after which the two village chiefs on Manado Tua Island will formalize the zonation plan in village decrees. The new zonation
plan will then be socialized on a large scale using mass-produced Manado Tua zonation calendars for 2002 and a set of large aluminum billboards installed
around the island. The NRM/EPIQ Bunaken team hopes to apply this new model to Mantehage Island in the next two months as well.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Issue 33, October 31, 2001
EcoReefs Installed on Bunaken Island
As Bunaken National Park heads into a new era of effective management of its marine ecosystems (with a strong patrol system as its foundation), the BNP Management
Advisory Board (BNPMAB) is now able to consider reef and mangrove rehabilitation techniques within the park in order to restore areas previously damaged by blast
and cyanide fishing and anchoring to their original ecosystem function. The field of reef rehabilitation is new and rapidly expanding, and BNP is proud to have
been selected as the world's first demonstration site for one of the newest reef restoration technologies-EcoReef modules. The large, snowflake-shaped ceramic
modules are designed to stabilize loose coral rubble substrates while providing immediate shelter to coral reef fishes. The module design imitates the most
rapidly-growing hard coral pioneer species on reefs (Acroporid branching corals), while the pH-neutral microporous ceramic surface should allow rapid natural
recruitment by hard corals. The EcoReef modules also readily receive coral transplants for enhanced recovery rates.
After extensive discussion by EcoReefs founder and president (Dr. Michael Moore) with BNP villagers and dive operators, the Alung Banoa core conservation zone
was chosen as the site for the initial demonstration installation of 7 EcoReef modules. The Alung Banoa core zone was specifically chosen because of that village's
active community conservation group and their commitment to guarding their core zone - and the fact that it is relatively sheltered from wave exposure during the
NW monsoon. Moreover, the modules will be spared incidental diver damage due to their location in the core zone, which is off limits to diving and fishing.
The installation was completed on 18 October 2001, with the help of Froggies Dive Center, Water Police officer John Kantaley and the Bunaken village patrol team,
and interested Alung Banoa villagers. The seven modules were installed in a star formation at 10m depth on a gentle slope in the core zone, and 5 species of Acropora
corals were transplanted to 4 of the modules for evaluation of their transplant potential. The installation will be monitored every 2-4 weeks for the next 12 months
for coral and fish recruitment and growth/cementation of transplanted corals. If impressive results are obtained, the BNPMAB will pursue funding for a large-scale
rehabilitation program. More information on the EcoReef modules (and the Bunaken installation in particular) can be found at
www.ecoreefs.com.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Issue 30, September 18, 2001
Happy Coral in Bunaken!
A recent re-survey of reefs around Bunaken Island in Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, has shown an average increase of 6.56% live hard coral cover in the past 8 months.
Such a rapid increase in hard coral cover is extremely encouraging and provides strong evidence that recent management initiatives assisted by NRM and its partners
(the Bunaken National Park Office, the Bunaken Management Advisory Board, the North Sulawesi Watersports Association, WWF Wallacea and others) are having an immediate
and very positive effect upon the reefs within the park. Besides the excellent physical conditions for coral growth in Bunaken (deep, clean water, frequent nutrient
upwellings and strong currents), specific management initiatives that have likely contributed to the rapid recovery include a ban on anchoring by all tourism boats,
a participatory zonation revision that includes very specific rules on activities that are allowed within individual zones, and a 24 hour community joint patrol system
that enforces the zonation system and has virtually eliminated destructive fishing practices like cyanide fishing around Bunaken Island.
While time limits prevented a complete resurvey of all reefs around Bunaken (this is scheduled again for January 2002), six zones covering the eastern and southern reefs
of the island were resurveyed and showed an overall average live hard coral cover of 47.5%. Increases in live hard coral cover were different among the various zones;
the tourism use zones showed an average increase of 5.9% to reach 49.4% average live cover, while the community use zones showed the highest average increase of 7.7%
to reach 45.2% average live hard coral cover. The core conservation zone (where no tourism or fishing activities are allowed) showed an average increase of 6.3% to reach
46.3% average live hard coral cover.
Anecdotal evidence from repeat divers suggests that fish populations are also staging a comeback. World-renowned underwater photographer Mike Severns (author of
Sulawesi Seas),
writes that after many years of diving Bunaken, it is wonderful to see the big fish coming back and the care being shown the reefs. While there is certainly a long way to go, it seems
that Bunaken National Park is well on its way to attaining the goal of becoming a true center of excellence for marine protected areas in SE Asia.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
flotsam@manado.wasantara.net.id
