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Coastal and Marine, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku
Biodiversity and Tropical Forests in Indonesia.
| Nusa Tenggara is situated on the border of the Indian Ocean and the Banda Sea. It consists of several thousand islands, stretching east to west, with coastlines dominated by rugged, rocky shores sloping relatively steeply into the sea. Reef flats are mostly narrow, with the slope varying from gentle to steep down to 30-50 m. The southern coasts are exposed to oceanic swell throughout the year and the corals are dominated by encrusting or low-branching morphologies. In some places there are fairly sheltered bays with mangroves, and there are also several places with strong tidal currents flowing through the straits. Coral development is greatest on the western and northern coasts of the islands, and the coral diversity is extremely high. The underwater topography is rugged and known as a refuge area for coral species (Suharsono 1998). |
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The coral areas of western Nusa Tenggara are approximately 25,000 ha (BAPPENAS, 2003). Three small islands of (Gili Trawanga, Gili Meno, and Gili Air) are popular diving and tourism areas due to their coral reefs in excellent condition (more than 40% coral cover) and beaches.
Komodo
Komodo Island is a National Park with a large marine area. It is certified as a Natural World Heritage Site, primarily for the protection of the Komodo Dragon, but now, increasingly, for its diverse and lush marine life.
Mangrove
Nusa Tenggara has a relative small area of mangroves compared to the other islands of Indonesia (38,000 ha), most of which are still intact (25,000 ha or 65%) (BAPPENAS, 2003). All sixteen species of mangrove found in Indonesia are reported from Lombok and the Gili Islands.
Coral Reef
The 1983 world coral bleaching event caused large scale coral mortality in Lombok (and Bali and Karimunjawa). Coral reef ecosystems adjacent to rapidly growing cities such as Ambon have collapsed or deteriorated drastically due to pollution (Suharsono 1998).
The Maluku has numerous large and small volcanic islands. Generally these are situated in areas of high earthquakes activity. Maluku is surrounded by deep seas and is located between the Sunda shelf in the west and the Sahul shelf in the east. Several volcanic islands with fringing reefs are found in Banda and Halmahera.
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The coastlines are usually rugged with narrow and steep beaches. Reef flats are narrow and gently sloping seaward to about 2-5 m, followed by a drop off at an angle of about 80-90° to depths greater than 100 m. The shallow sub-tidal reefs are dominated by smaller corals while the walls are densely covered by massive and encrusting corals, soft corals and gorgonians (Suharsono 1998).
Three areas in the Maluku have been identified as conservation priorities to conserve bird migratory areas and for the marine life. These are Manusela, G. Kapalat Mada and Yamdena (BAPPENAS 2003).
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Source : Report on Biodiversity and Tropical Forests in Indonesia, USAID/Indonesia, 2004. Prepared by : (1) Steve Rhee, M.E.Sc. (2) Darrell Kitchener, Ph.D. (3) Tim Brown, Ph.D. (4) Reed Merrill, M.Sc. (5) Russ Dilts, Ph.D. (6) Stacey Tighe, Ph.D. |
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