Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The name of Wakatobi is a portmanteau of the four main Tukangbesi Islands: Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Since 2005 the park is listed as a tentative World Heritage Site.
Location and topography
Wakatobi National Park is located south-east of Sulawesi, between 05°12’-06°10’S and 123°20’-124°39’E, between the Banda Sea to the north-east and the Flores Sea to the south-west.
It consists of four larger islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko, as well as many small islands such as Tokobao, North Lintea, South Lintea, Kampenaune, Hoga and Tolandono. The highest elevation is on Wangi-Wangi, followed by Lagole Hill (271m) on Tomia, Terpadu Hill (222 m) on Binongko and Mount Sampuagiwolo (203 m) on Kadelupa. The water depth varies, with the deepest parts reaching .
It is the third largest marine park in Indonesia. Jacques Cousteau is said to have called the Wakatobi islands – then known as the Tukangbesi islands: an "Underwater Nirvana". Now a national marine park covering the entire Waktobi District, it comprises 1.4 million hectares, of which 900,000 host tropical coral reefs. The islands form the largest barrier reef in Indonesia. It is the habitat of large and small fish species, dolphins, turtles and whales. The island group comprises 143 islands of which 7 are inhabited, counting a total population of around 100,000. Most notable are the Bajo communities, seafaring nomads who inhabit many of Indonesia’s remote islands.
Flora and fauna
Located in the Asia-Pacific World Coral Triangle, in the province of Southeast Sulawesi, the Wakatobi Islands offer clear waters and a rich bio-diverse underwater life. Wakatobi hosts 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species (of 850 globally), versus 50 in the Caribbean and 300 in the Red Sea.
Habitats found in the national park are mangrove forest, coastal forest, lowland swamp forest, riverbank vegetation, lowland rainforest, mountain rainforest and coral reefs. The Wakatobi Archipelago has 25 groups of coral reefs including fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls. A survey conducted in 2003 identified 396 species of coral belonging to 68 genera and 15 families. These include Acropora formosa, Acropora hyacinthus, Psammocora profundasafla, Pavona cactus, Leptoseris yabei, Fungia molucensis, Lobophyllia robusta, Merulina ampliata, Platygyra versifora, Euphyllia glabrescens, Tubastraea frondes, Stylophora pistillata, Sarcophyton throchelliophorum, and Sinularia species.
Among the recorded species of seabirds are the brown booby, common kingfisher and Malaysian plover.
Turtles in the park include the hawksbill, loggerhead and olive ridley.
Human habitation
The main settlement on the islands is the administrative centre for the Regency Baubau. In 2001, nearly 90,000 people lived on the islands. The demographics of the region are 91.33 percent Wakatobi, 7.92 percent Bajau, and less than one percent other ethnicities.
The Bajau people, in particular, rely heavily upon marine resources within the park for survival as a majority of the population are nomadic, subsistence-oriented fishers. Some Bajau fishers utilize techniques such as fish bombing and coral mining, although these methods may detrimentally impact the reef.
Conservation and threats
After the designation of the Wakatobi Marine Conservation Area in 1996, the Wakatobi National Park was established in 2002. It is managed by the Wakatobi National Park Authority (Balai Taman Nasional). In 2005 the park was listed as a tentative World Heritage Site. In 2012 it was included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Wakatobi is a complex marine protected area that contains many zones which allow different levels of fishing and tourism. Areas of coral reefs are usually no-take zones, while open waters are often designated as traditional use zones, where local fishers are allowed to fish and make a living. The no-takes zones make up only 3.2% of the total MPA.
Historically, Wakatobi has had issues with management and economic stability for local communities. This can be seen when foreigners arrive and exploit the local communities. In the areas near the no-take zones, tour operators have enacted reef-leasing schemes. Foreign tour operators directly pay local villages for exclusive access to no-take zones for tourism. Villages that sign the reef-leasing contract essentially lose all rights to the area. The money is then used to repair public buildings and provide electricity in the villages.