NRM News Archive
Issue 09, May 15, 2002
Bunaken National Park Entrance Fee Successfully Raised for 2002
After months of delay due to unrelated provincial budget negotiations, the North Sulawesi parliament (DPRD) has finally passed Provincial Law No. 9/2002
amending No. 14/2000, which effectively raises the entrance fee for foreigners visiting Bunaken NP. The 2002 annual entrance fee has been raised to
Rp 150,000 (~US$15) for an individually-numbered plastic waterproof tag that is valid for the entire calendar year (up from Rp 75,000 in 2001).
The entrance tag design this year features an image of the pygmy seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti, a cryptic animal that is highly sought-after
by divers and symbolizes the extraordinary marine biodiversity that Bunaken offers.
Also new this year is a one-day pass for foreigners for Rp 50,000. The entrance fee for Indonesian guests remains the same at Rp 2,500 per day
for adults and Rp 1000 per day for students.
The Bunaken NP Management Advisory Board (DPTNB) hopes that the entrance fee raise will bring it one step closer to truly sustainable conservation
financing for management of the park. In its first 9 months of operation (March-December 2001), the entrance fee system successfully collected
US$42,000 from 5183 foreign visitors and 9872 local guests. The DPTNB is targeting US$100,000 for 2002, bringing it much closer to financial
independence. Importantly, the 2002 entrance fee system has already raised almost US $21,000 in its first three months - a strong indication
that the $100,000 target will be achieved or even surpassed given the likely increase in visitors during the tourism high season from May-October.
The long-term budget goal for the DPTNB is US$200,000 per year, which should provide for truly effective management of Bunaken NP. Currently
there are no plans to raise the fee again in the near future; further revenue gains will be made through increasing visitation rates
(while bearing in mind the carrying capacity of the park's reefs) and optimizing fee collection.
The success of the BNP entrance fee system has brought immediate national and international attention. Managers in Bali Barat NP, Wakatobi NP,
and the nascent Berau Islands tourism area have expressed strong interest in adapting the Bunaken system to their respective conservation areas,
while the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) SE Asian MPA working group solicited a presentation on the Bunaken fee system for an international
workshop on sustainable MPA financing in Bali in late 2001. Moreover, the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) has selected Bunaken NP
as its sole Asian demonstration site for sustainable reef tourism in MPAs. Viva Bunaken!
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Issue 08, April 30, 2002
Bunaken National Park Village Radio Network now Up and Running
During the month of March, radio antennas began appearing everywhere in villages throughout Bunaken National Park. Are Bunakenites preparing for extraterrestrial
communications? No, this is simply the realization of a long-standing request to increase communication capabilities amongst the 22 villages in the park. NRM/EPIQ
has provided a total of 26 base VHF radio stations and 8 handheld marine VHF radios in order to facilitate communications between villages and provide radio contact
for the 24 hour joint patrol system. Working closely with the Bunaken Concerned Citizen’s Forum (FMPTNB), the BNP Management Advisory Board (DPTNB) has overseen
the installation of these radios in all 22 villages (including several isolated enclaves), the Bunaken patrol posts, and on patrol boats. For each village station,
ten villagers have been trained in proper radio use, and the system is now operating flawlessly. The radio network is operating on Marine VHF Channel 01A (corresponding
to a frequency of 156,050 MHz), with a secondary frequency of 153,450 MHz.
Already, the radio network is greatly simplifying communications between villages, the patrol system, dive operators, and the DPTNB secretariat. Communications
between the secretariat and the patrol system are now instantaneous and allow tight monitoring of the entrance fee system, while village conservation leaders
separated by 10's of kilometers of ocean are now regularly chatting with each other. Although the network is active 24 hours a day, FMPTNB leaders have instituted
their own tradition that every morning at 5am, the day is opened with a five to ten minute prayer for Bunaken National Park, with a subsequent day-end prayer at
8pm. Village stations take turns in leading the prayer. Perhaps the most important improvement is in the area of enforcement against illegal fishers, as demonstrated
in the following incident.
On 20 March 2002, a dive tourist staying on Bunaken Island noticed a cyanide compressor boat beginning operations on Bunaken's reef at approximately 10pm. Within minutes,
she had contacted a dive operator who promptly notified the patrol post on Liang Beach. The patrol post directed the nearest patrol boat to the site of the compressor
activities. As it turned out, the cyanide boat had quickly moved from Bunaken once it realized it was under watch, but the village network was listening and 12
island stations promised to keep vigil and report if the boat began operating on their respective reefs.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
Issue 07, April 10, 2002
Bunaken Patrol System: New Park Head + New Water Police Chiefs = Bad News for Bombers
Bunaken National Park's joint patrol system (involving rangers, water police and local villagers and supported by the DPTNB and grants from WWF Wallacea) has taken
a great leap forward with the recent inauguration of 3 key figures: the new head of Bunaken National Park (Bapak Arief Toengkagie), the new chief of North Sulawesi's
water police force (Bpk. Bambang Purnomo) and the new head of Manado's water police force (Bpk. Sianturi). In an era of Indonesian national park management that has
been largely lawless, these three men have taken the initiative to boldly commit to eradicating the primary destructive activities that threaten Bunaken NP: blast
fishing, cyanide fishing for the live reef fish export trade, and illegal mangrove cutting.
Together with the committed head of the conservation section of BNP (Bpk. Syihabuddin), this team has been utilizing both routine park patrols by the joint patrol
team and special undercover operations by police and rangers to eliminate these activities. Progress since September 2001 has been highly encouraging, with the
capture and successful prosecution of a notorious bombing team from the southern section of the park leading to a virtual cessation of blast fishing in that area.
Secretive and well-organized bombing in the far northern reaches of the park still continues, but is being targeted by undercover operations.
The war against cyanide fishing has been similarly successful. Village patrol teams in both the northern and southern sections of the park have accosted and stopped
numerous small-scale compressor boats, while a recent undercover operation in early March 2002 successfully destroyed six live fish holding pens (used to store
cyanide-captured fish prior to export) and released over 50 protected Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) from operations on Nain and Mantehage Islands and
in the area of Arakan village. The battle to stop mangrove cutting has proven more difficult; while numerous boats have been captured within the park and their
cargoes of illegal mangrove wood confiscated and burned, villagers from the areas of Mantehage Island and Arakan-Wowontulap still maintain that mangrove cutting
is a traditional livelihood that should be permitted. An intensive socialization program is underway to change this perception, but unfortunately mangrove cutting
continues.
Pressures from local businessmen involved in live fish export have also been intense, with these businessmen lobbying government and top police officials to stop
enforcement activities within the park. In order to help support the continued enforcement activities, NRM/EPIQ's Outreach and Education team recently arranged a
television and newspaper media conference which highlighted the successful efforts of the patrol team in upholding the law and protecting an important economic
asset for the province. The press conference resulted in an hour-long television dialog featuring Bpk. Arief, Bpk. Syihabuddin, and Bpk. Sianturi and in numerous
newspaper articles over the following week. The success of this media campaign highlighted the importance of continued outreach activities to support NRM program
work and field initiatives.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
erdmann@nrm.or.id
and
Sri Hardiyanti Gunadi
Outreach and Education Specialist
NRM/EPIQ SULUT
gyanti@nrm.or.id
Issue 04, February 21, 2002
2001 Bunaken National Park Entrance Fee System Captures US$42,000 for Conservation!
Total entrance fee receipts of Rp 418,187,500 were recorded during the period of 15 March-31 December 2001. These fees were collected from a total of 15,055 visitors
to the park (including 5183 foreign guests, 8387 adult Indonesians and 1485 Indonesian students). Taking into account the late start of the entrance fee system and
the effects of the September 11 WTC terrorist attacks on tourism, the DPTNB estimates that overall visitation for the park for 2001 was likely on the level of 25,000
visitors (15,000 Indonesians and 10,000 foreigners).
Several interesting facts emerge from the entrance fee database. Of particular note is the predominance of Indonesian guests, who comprise 66% of the total arrivals
to the park. This finding suggests that the DPTNB needs to pay particular attention to the aspirations and requirements of local guests, who tend to be more focused
on land-based tourism facilities (such as public toilets, picnic tables, and clean beaches) than their reef-focused foreign diver counterparts. Although the entrance
fees for local guests are currently minimal (Rp 2500 per visit), the large number of visitors shows that as conservation awareness increases locally, these guests
could contribute a much larger percentage to conservation funding for the park.
Although they represented only 34% of visitor numbers, foreign guests generated almost 95% of the entrance fee receipts via the Rp 75,000 plastic entrance tags sold to
foreigners. Of the foreign arrivals, the top country of origin was the UK, followed closely by the USA, Italy, Holland, and Germany. A second tier was comprised of Singapore,
Japan, France, Taiwan, Hongkong, Switzerland, and Spain. In total, 38 countries were represented in the entrance fee database.
The DPTNB financial report further reveals receipt of a US$11,000 grant from WWF Wallacea to help fund the joint patrol system for the park. Additionally, NRM/EPIQ financial
support towards DPTNB activities is estimated at US$79,000 for the year 2001.
Expenditures reported include Rp 222,164,725 for the joint patrol system (including fuel costs, salaries and bonuses, equipment, training), Rp 30,000,000 for 30 information
billboards erected in the park, and Rp 76,286,900 transferred to the provincial government (as required by Provincial Law No. 14, 2001). Over Rp 200,000,000 remains in the
DPTNB account for funding 2002 activities.
Looking towards the future, the DPTNB's 2002 optimal budget is approximately Rp 2,000,000,000 (US$200,000). An increase in the entrance fee charged to foreigners (targeted at
Rp 150,000 and currently being discussed by the provincial parliament) should help generate a significant portion of the DPTNB's budgetary needs, while outside support from WWF
Wallacea, NRM/EPIQ, Seacology, VSO, and the Coral Reef Alliance is also being sought for 2002.
Mark V. Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor
NRM/EPIQ Program Sulawesi Utara
erdmann@nrm.or.id
