Islets off Sulawesi to be declared national park

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to declare the Wakatobi Islands off southeast Sulawesi a national marine park, effectively barring fishing in the waters around it.

Minister of Forestry Djamaloedin Soeryohadikoesoemo on Friday night promptly responded to a request made during a fund-raising dinner by the Wallacea Development Institute, an organization concerned with the protection of biodiversity in Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku.

"I fully agree with the proposal to turn the Wakatobi Islands into National Marine Park," he said in response to a proposal from institute chairman Ibnu Sutowo in his introductory remarks.

Sutowo, the former president of state oil company Pertamina, warned that if fishing is allowed to continue in the area, "the coral reefs will disappear within five years".

Wakatobi's name comes from the first two letters of the four large islands in the area: Wangiwangi, Kalepuda, Tomea and Binongko. Extensive fishing in the waters around the islands, including the use of explosives, have threatened the precious coral reefs and some endangered sharks and turtles as well as the fish stock.

Among the tropical fish found in the area are Napoleon wrasse and groupers, both highly popular among Asian gourmets.

A report on fishery monitoring and the management of the Wakatobi Islands, prepared by Tejan Fadlu-Deen of SeaWatch Sierra Leone Ltd, found that coral reefs are being destroyed faster than Indonesia's rain forests.

"With a recovery time numbering tens of years, the urgency is apparent... Even if the destructive activities can be stopped right now, it would take tens of years for the coral reefs to recover," the study concluded.

Djamaloedin said the government is anxious about Indonesia's coral reefs and is resolute to stop their systematic destruction.

Quoting the Office of the State Minister of Environment, he said 73 percent of Indonesia's coral reefs have either disappeared or been damaged because of the use of explosives and cyanide poison by fishermen.

Any effort to save the coral reefs in the region must involve the local people, many of whom depend on fishing for their livelihood, he said. He noted that so far locals had not taken part in any scheme to protect the coral reefs.

"I think it's unwise to blame them for the destruction," he added.

He said locals should be provided with access to capital and management help to improve their economic lot.

Officials have said that in most instances the local people are hired by big fishing companies, sometimes foreign-owned ones, to fish the reefs. They work in the fishing boats and are risking their own lives and health by using explosives and cyanide, all for meager wages.

Friday's charity dinner was held to raise funds to finance the various projects to conserve the biodiversity resources in the Wallacea region, named after the famous English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who first recognized the distinction between the fauna of eastern and western Indonesia. Wallacea is a transition zone where the fauna of Asia blends with that of the Austro- Pacific regions.

The dinner, which attracted around 100 people, raised Rp 971 million ($420,000) from donations as well as an auction of a number of artifacts.

Among those present were State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, the institute's honorary chairmen Sudomo and Sudwikatmono, and Danish Ambassador Michael Sternberg.

First lady Tien Soeharto, who is the patron of the institute, was originally scheduled to address the dinner but canceled to attend another function. (01)