Bali's pristine coral reefs under threat

Bali's pristine coral reefs under threat

Pariama Hutasoit, Contributor, Jembrana, West Bali

Bali Barat National Park is known as a home to thousands of
varieties of flora and fauna, some are endangered and protected.
But the park located between Jembrana and Buleleng regencies in
northwest Bali also boasts beautiful coral reefs.

Most of visitors -- around 80 percent -- come for the park's
famous reefs.

"Visitors from Japan, the United States and European countries
prefer to dive and to explore the underwater world," explained
the park's head, Soedirun Dartosoewarno. He added that other
tourists came to do outdoor activities like trekking or
birdwatching.

The park covers more than 19,002 hectares comprising of 15,588
hectares of forested area and 3,415 hectares of marine area
including a mangrove forest and the coral reef. The park's coral
reef covers areas from Gilimanuk, Terima and Banyuwedang bays.

In l998, there were an estimated 110 coral species of 18
families including mushroom coral in the area.

The condition of coral reefs and underwater life in the
national park has been facing serious threats from both natural
and human factors.

"Illegal logging, fish bombing and trawling have been
destroying the coral reef ecosystem here," he added.

Marc Swaelens, director of Pro Dive, noted another factor, a
lack of discipline among divers for threatening the coral reef's
existence. He said they have already implemented international
diving procedures and standards for divers.

"There are no other diving standards applied here and in many
other diving centers in Bali," said Swaelens.

Many times, he said, diving operators allowed their guests to
walk on the reefs and even to take bits of coral away.

"In the Caribbean, divers are strictly required to follow
regulations and to protect coral reefs," Swaelens added.

Nina Dwisasanti from WWF Wallacea said that fishermen as well
as big ships also contributed to the destruction of the coral
reefs.

"Ship's anchors frequently hit the coral reefs and cause
serious damages," Nina said.

Soedirun said the Bali Barat National Park's management has
set up five "mooring buoys".

"The number of mooring buoys is actually inadequate. But it is
very costly to build another one," Soedirun said. He added he's
expecting technical and financial assistance from the local
tourist agency to deal with the problems.

He pointed out that both government and private sectors have
benefited from the national park, therefore, it's hoped they
would work together to properly support and protect the security
of the national park along its coastal areas.

A number of strategies have been enforced to protect the coral
reefs, among others, through the "Friends of the Reefs" program,
which was started in November 2000.

The program involves provincial government, local authorities
and WWF Wallacea. It is also supported by all stakeholders in the
park's nearby areas such as customary village banjar, local
communities, diving operators, hotels, resorts and related
parties.

"The preservation of the reef is our responsibility. It
requires a strong commitment from the involved parties to ensure
the sustainability of our marine assets," Soedirun said.

WWF Wallacea, for instance, has become an effective
facilitator to protect and monitor coral reefs along Menjangan
island which is part of the Bali Barat park.

Several other activities such as training for journalists,
operational training for marine experts, open houses, workshops
and the enforcement of a Code of Conduct (CoC) to monitor and to
preserve the coral reefs in the park might help in preventing
further destruction of the coral reef.