Wakatobi National Park (TN)

By the attempt of the Future
Original text in bahasa by Sari Widiati

Most of Indonesia's area is the central triangle coral reefs (The Coral Triangle Center) together with the Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands, covers 5.7 million km2 of sea.

Wakatobi National Park (TN) in Southeast Sulawesi, which is located in the center, continue to seek salvation and preservation of natural wealth for the sake of balance and a better future.

Mainstay for Various Sectors

Defined as a national park in 1996 by the Ministry of Forestry when its still a part of the Regency of Buton, Wakatobi fate, which is a cluster of four large islands-Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko-wasn't much different from other national parks in Indonesia. Beside become the object of living in the surrounding community, it also relied in various important sectors. Viewing the area which is 97% sea, marine and fisheries sector are the main after tourism.

With 1.390 million hectares area of which has 39 islands (only seven uninhabited islands), three char (shoal), and five atol (coral island), TN Wakatobi store the overflow property. Have recorded 942 species of fish and 750 species of coral in it. Compare this with the Caribbean region that has only 50 species of coral and the Red Sea 300 species of coral and in the world only amounting to 850 species of coral.

Based on the Operation Wallacea research- research center that based in the UK that opened research center on the Hoga Island, Wakatobi - assumming that 90% of those natural wealth of the world are on this national park. Beside, inside the area of 90 thousand hectares of coral reefs, there is 48km atol at Kaledupa, the longest in the world.

With its position surrounded by the Banda Sea, Flores Sea and the Buton island, it has a distinctive feature compared to other areas because of its ability to provide food security and the ability to recover the species level for coral reefs if damaged. That is because the pattern of water flow to maintain this area is also make role so that not easily affected by the bleaching due to global warming.

It is not excessive if this national parks declarated as an under the sea paradise for divers of the world that provided a 29 point dive in the region. Wealth of biodiversity is not necessarily swing to continue to use without limit. Fishing practices that harm, such as bombardment, the use of toxic cyanide and other destruktif activities, become a threat that continues to haunt. However, such that conditions have formed the paradigm of the importance of the conservation potential of biodiversity in the future so that he can still keep the Waktobi community and at the same time remain the most important part of the Coral Triangle Center.

A role for the Conservation

The beauty of Wakatobi TN also encourage the observer and the environment conserver either from government, non-government organizations (NGOs) and communities together to do conservation in order to prolong life until the next generation.

From review on Visit Wakatobi activities with WWF-Indonesia some time ago had formed an understanding in managing the conservation of TN Wakatobi between the government and related organizations, or NGOs, which then form a community initiative to make wise.

After establishing the new districts, namely Wakatobi Residence (Kabupaten) in 2004, local governments increasingly serious in managing conservation on these important assets. SOne of them is to apply the zoning system which was the formularization has been agreed between central government, residence government and local communities. Produced through a public consultation process involving many parties, including community groups, particularly groups of users of marine natural resources in the Wakatobi.

The zoning system which was signed together with the Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Ministry of Forestry (MoF-PHKA) on 23 July 2007 is one of the strategic way that believed can guarantee the preservation of natural resources biological and economic sustainability for the community and for the residence.
Zoning regulation consists of core zone : disallow capture and disallow traffic, and maritime protection zone. Daerah larang ambil, boleh lintas dan zona wisata mencakup 36% dari total target konservasi. Disallow capture area, crossable and tourism zone covers 36% of the total target conservation.

This zoning regulation become unseparated part of the Spatial Plan Area of Wakatobi; residence government then prepare the development vision of the two superior sector, tourism and fisheries.


Airfield at Wangi Wangi built as a support in infrastructure area - operated in early 2008. According to Wakatobi Regent Huguan "With this airfield Wakatobi no longer so isolated, more easily achieved by anyone who would like to visit, especially tourists. For the fishery sector, residence government directing the transition from coral reefs fisheries to deep marine fisheries and marine commodity cultivation."

In the case of providing conservation, TN Wakatobi Hall as the managing board of conservation area has 3 main pillars. As stated by the Head of Central TN Wakatobi Wahju Rudianto, "3 main pillars that had mandated consists of the protection of the area, preservation of natural resources and the utilization of natural resources sustainably itself."

Then, Wahju Rudianto explains that from the zoning drafting there are 11 important resources that become conservation priorities, they are the coral reefs which consists of three kinds; edge coral reefs, barrier coral reefs and atol coral reefs. Then SPAGs (Spawning Aggregation sites) which are the location of fish breed, turtle, mangrove, migrant birds, upwelling (the increase of water mass from depth to the surface that bring the burly substances), traffic line of the sea mammals, seagrass and seaweed.

The formulation of conservation concept is not released from the active role of the organization or environment lovers NGO. Information from the Project Leader Program Co WWF-TNC (The Nature Conservancy) Wakatobi, Veda Santiaji, the field survey started in 2003 together with Central TN Wakatobi for early exploration and feasibility program to apply. From there, focused on three things to be more optimized. First, make the design of the planning area more comprehensive that also reviewed from the ecological consideration, social and economic interests and the target of development. Second, the continuous monitoring activities as basic management considerations, including the provision of security equipment and its operations and human resources. Third, counseling and organizing community groups to the point that awareness of the potential TN Wakatobi is a part of their lives therefore must be maintained its preservation.

The efforts made above at the end formed equal understanding between communities in the management of the potency of TN Wakatobi. They who are thinking more about the sustainability of the future immedietly establish small organizations to support such as Forkani (Forum Komunikasi Tani / Farm Community Forum) and Komunto (Kelompok-Kelompok Nelayan Tomia / Tomia Fishermen Groups.

Thanks to the ideas and energy that they did above, it is not impossible if TN Wakatobi continue living. But the most important is how to keep the preservation spirit light although many are reluctant or do not even care about the fate in the future.