JAKARTA: The government, through the maritime affairs and fisheries minister, declared Nusa Penida island in Bali a maritime conservation area on Sunday.

The government hopes the designation will benefit the local community in Nusa Penida, a 20,507-hectare area rich in maritime and coastal resources.

Minister Fadel Muhammad said in a press release that Nusa Penida conservation area supported the government’s 2020 target to protect the ecosystem of 20 million hectares of maritime and coastal areas in the country.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for Indonesia Marine Program and other international oceanographers found last year that Nusa Penida had 269 types of coral, 576 fish species, 1,419 hectares of coral reefs, 230 hectares of mangroves, 108 areas of seagrass beds and eight species of seagrasses. — JP

Source

Last changed: Jun 25 2012 at 5:28 PM

Comments