Kamis, 11 Desember 2008

Klungkung Susun Kawasan Konservasi Laut Nusa Penida

Oleh Luh De Suriyani
Pemerintah Kabupaten Klungkung tengah menyusun konsep cetak biru Kawasan Konservasi Laut (KKL) di sekitar perairan Nusa Penida, sebuah pulau di selatan Pulau Bali ini. Jika KKL terwujud, diharapkan mengurangi pencurian ikan, konservasi terumbu karang, peningkatan kualitas wisata bahari, dan pemberdayaan masyarakat setempat.

Hal ini dibahas dalam workshop soal pembentukan KKL oleh sejumlah stakeholder Kabupaten Klungkung, yang mewilayahi Nusa Penida, Rabu (10/9) lalu. Difasilitasi The Nature Conservacy (TNC), NGO yang bergerak di bidang lingkungan, sejumlah pejabat Klungkung dari Dinas Lingkungan Hidup, Badan Pembangunan Daerah (Bapeda), Kecamatan Nusa Penida, dan lainnya menggali potensi Nusa Penida sebagai kawasan konservasi laut.

Selama ini diakui pemerintah daerah, Nusa Penida belum mempunyai konsep pengelolaan perairan yang integral. ”Selama ini kegiatan dilakukan parsial saja. Melihat perkembangan wisata yang makin tinggi dan permasalahan penangkapan ikan berlebihan, maka kawasan konservasi laut sangat penting,” ujar Anak Agung Ngurah Kirana, Kepala Bidang Ekonomi Bapeda Klungkung.

Kawasan Konservasi Laut (KKL) telah terbukti menjadi alat yang efektif untuk perlindungan keragaman hayati laut dan pengelolaan pemanfaatan sumberdaya yang lestari, khususnya untuk perikanan dan pariwisata. Keberhasilan pengelolaan KKL juga berdampak nyata pada peningkatan kunjungan wisata yang berdampak langsung pada perekonomian lokal.

KKL tersusun dari beberapa zona peruntukkan dalam usaha mengakomodasi berbagai tingkatan pemanfaatan sumber daya di setiap zona. Zona larang-ambil (no-take zone), yang masih bisa dimanfaatkan untuk kegiatan pariwisata, memberikan perlindungan yang baik bagi sumbe rdaya ikan dan sangat diperlukan sebagai penyedia sumber ikan bagi daerah penangkapan di sekitarnya.

Zona ini juga memberikan perlindungan terhadap keanekaragaman sumberdaya hayati. Zona lainnya dalam KKL memungkinkan memperbolehkan pengambilan sumberdaya dengan alat yang tidak merusak habitat organisme laut dan melalui perijinan yang diatur dengan prinsip daya dukung sumberdaya.

Perairan Nusa Penida dinilai salah satu contoh lokasi yang sangat unik dan tepat untuk dijadikan Kawasan Konservasi Laut. Nusa Penida terletak pada batas barat-selatan segi-tiga karang dunia (Coral Triangle) yang sering diartikan sebagai pusat keanekaragaman sumber daya hayati laut di bumi.

”Keberadaan ikan mola-mola dan manta merupakan dua jenis keanekaragaman sumber daya hayati unik dan langka yang perlu mendapat penanganan serius. Ikan ini menjadi favorit para penyelam dunia dan sangat sulit dijumpai di perairan lain,” ungkap I Dewa Gede Raka Wiadnya, peneliti lingkungan TNC-Coral Triangle Center.

Sebagian besar pantai Nusa Penida dimanfaatkan sebagai ladang budi daya rumput laut yang pernah menjadi sumber utama mata pencaharian masyarakat setempat. Selain itu, kini Nusa Penida juga berkembang sebagai pusat kegiatan pariwisata pantai dan laut di Bali. Akomodasi dari berbagai kepentingan ini sangat sesuai untuk disatukan dalam bentuk perencanaan Kawasan Konservasi Laut untuk melindungi sumber mata pencaharian masyarakat.

Ancaman kerusakan lingkungan perairan Nusa Penida harus diselamatkan. I Dewa Gede Tegeh Menala, salah seorang tokoh masyarakat setempat mengatakan saat ini banyak kapal besar semacam pukat harimau yang menangkap ikan di perairan Nusa Penida. ”Nelayan kecil seperti saya kalah jauh karena mereka menggunakan jaring yang sangat besar dan ini yang membuat penangkapan ikan berlebihan,” ujarnya.

Akibatnya, menurut Tegeh, sebagian besar nelayan di lima desa daerah pesisir Nusa Penida yang berprofesi sebagai nelayan banyak terlilit hutang pada rentenir. Para rentenir kini mengikat nelayan kecil dengan menyediakan perahu, jaring, sampai bahan bakar perahu. ”Pendapatan nelayan kecil karena harga tangkapan pun diatur rentenir,” tambah Tegeh.
Ia berharap KKL ini segera dapat diwujudkan dengan landasan hukum yang kuat. ”Saya punya cita-cita mengembangkan koperasi nelayan agar bisa terlepas dari rentenir,” pinta warga asal Desa Batununggul, Nusa Penida ini.

Nusa Penida berdekatan dengan dua pulau kecil yakni Nusa Lembongan dan Nusa Ceningan yang juga ramai dikunjungi turis. Banyak kapal pesiar kecil yang memanfaatkan potensi bahari perairan ini seperti Quick Silver, Bali Hai, dan Bounty Cruise. Ironisnya, Nusa Penida masih dianggap daerah miskin dan banyak warganya yang bekerja di luar daerah. Pertanian dan perkebunan setempat hanya mengandalkan tadah hujan karena kesulitan pasokan air.

Dengan dasar hukum UU No. 5/1990, pemerintah Indonesia telah menetapkan dan mengelola luas total KKL mencapai sekitar 5,6 juta ha. Pemerintah melalui Departemen Kelautan dan Perikanan bahkan menyatakan keinginan untuk menambah luas KKL di Indonesia mencapai 10 juta ha pada tahun 2010 dan 20 juta ha pada tahun 2020. [b]

Senin, 08 Desember 2008

Saving Nusa Penida’s Underwater Paradise

by Marthen Welly
The Coral Triangle is known as the global centre of marine biodiversity and one of the world’s top priorities for marine conservation. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are recognised as Coral Triangle countries. The area is home to over 600 reefbuilding coral species, or 75 percent of all species known to science, and more than 3, 000 species of reef fish. The coral triangle covers 5.7 million sq km, equivalent to half the area of the United States.

Within the Coral Triangle, 120 million people depend directly upon coral reefs for food and income, which is the basic reason why The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is working with a range of partners to protect the coastal and marine ecosystems of this vast area by addressing key threats, such as over-fishing, destructive fishing, and mass coral bleaching as a result of global warming.

Marine Protected Areas
TNC is working to transform marine conservation in the Coral Triangle by establishing large-scale networks of marineprotected areas (MPAs) that can survive global change and human threats.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines MPAs as: ‘Areas of tidal or subtidal terrain, together with their overlying waters and associated flora, fauna and historical and cultural features, which have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.’ In addition to protecting biodiversity, MPAs provide benefits for commercial fisheries and for nature-based tourism.

A Centre of Excellence
Since 2000, as a centre of excellence on designing and implementing well-managed MPAs within the Coral Triangle, TNC has been developing the Coral Triangle Centre (CTC) in Bali. The CTC will support TNC’s project sites with science, training, policies and financing, while promoting awareness of the need for establishing well-managed marine protected areas.

TNC-CTC is one of the key players in the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) that is supported by six coral triangle countries and the USA and Australia. The CTI is led by the Indonesian government under the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

TNC is working on project site conservation in Komodo, Wakatobi, Derawan, Raja Ampat, and the Savu Sea, all in Indonesia; Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea; and Arnovan Island of the Solomon Islands. This year, TNC has been expanding to new sites in Nusa Penida and Banda Island in Indonesia, and in East Timor.

Small Island Life
By speedboat from Sanur beach, it takes about 30 minutes to get to the beautiful islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan that lie southeast of Bali. Clear blue water and soft-white sand circling the green islands create a luminous picture that is sure to put you in a relaxed mood, but will also make you want to protect this beautiful paradise.

Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are connected by a beautiful 200m yellow bridge that is called the ‘Golden Gate’ of Nusa Penida. In the afternoon, with the golden hues of sunset falling on the marvellous mangrove forest, the fishermen drift on this sensational sea of calm as they take their traditional wooden boats to sea. These islands are rich in Balinese culture. Ped temple on Nusa Penida is one of central temples for the islands, and Balinese from the main island come every year to pray at this temple.

Tourism facilities at Nusa Lembongan are well-developed with marine tourism activities, dive operators, seaview resorts and restaurants easy to find. The prices are reasonable with a wide affordable range. Several of them have good connections with boat cruises from Benoa Harbour on Bali.

Unforgettable Islands
The fresh winds, crystal water, and incredible marine life combined with the friendly people and their Balinese culture will transport you into a different environment, far from the crowded, noisy streets you¡¯ve come from.

You can rent a motorcycle to explore the islands, and by meeting the local people, you will learn how the islanders live with nature. At night, enjoy a fish barbeque with the sounds of the sea as background music and the bright stars glittering in the sky. A romantic candle-light dinner at a beach restaurant is another very attractive option.

Though Nusa Penida is separated from Bali, it is still accessible, easy to reach and offers comfortable facilities.

Nusa Penida Underwater
As part of the coral triangle, Nusa Penida has a complete marine ecosystem with a stunning coral reef, a healthy mangrove forest and a seagrass bed. One visit to Nusa Penida lets you experience a great deal of marine life.

Nusa Penida is one of the best diving sites in Bali and all of Indonesia. Unique and rare marine creatures such as manta rays, stingrays, sea turtles, dolphins and sharks are Penida’s underwater residents. Penida’s most phenomenal underwater creature is the oceanic sunfish - the ‘mola mola’.

The best time to dive at Nusa Penida and see the ‘molamola’ is between August and October. Divers from around the world come to Nusa Penida just to see the ‘mola-mola’, which can grow up to 3.3m in size.

The waters around Nusa Penida are also an important migratory route for Cetaceans in Indonesia. During certain seasons, schools of whales pass through the strait between Bali and Nusa Penida, as well as between Nusa Penida and Lombok. The Dugong has often been spotted off Nusa Lembongan.

As one of the best marine tourism destinations in Bali, Nusa Penida has more than 10 dive sites. Favourite Nusa Penida sites are Blue Corner, Manta Point, SD Ped, Crystal Bay, Segamat, Toyapakeh and Jack Point. Nusa Penida has more than 12sq kms of coral reef and 1/4 sq kms of mangrove forest. These marine ecosystems are vital and important to protect Nusa Penida’s beach as well as fisheries resources and marine tourism assets.

source : http://xlgroupblog.com/the-environment/saving-nusa-penidas-underwater-paradise