IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF SPECIAL AREAS AND PSSAs. Protection of the Lombok Strait including Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands

Transcription

1 E MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE 71st session Agenda item 8 MEPC 71/INF April 2017 ENGLISH ONLY IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF SPECIAL AREAS AND PSSAs Protection of the Lombok Strait including Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands Submitted by Indonesia SUMMARY Executive summary: This document introduces and highlights the need to protect the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands which lie in close proximity to international shipping routes in the Lombok Strait, Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lane (IASL) II, located between Lombok and Bali Islands. A submission to the Committee is being developed as part of the framework cooperation agreement between IMO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) for the prevention of pollution from ships through the adoption of PSSAs within the East Asian region. Strategic direction: 7.1 High-level action: Output: Action to be taken: Paragraph 16 Related documents: None Introduction 1 The Lombok Strait is the narrowest strait in the IASL II. It is located at the southern end of the IASL II. The northern entrance to the Lombok Strait of the IASL II passes close to Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Ayer Islands in the northwest coast of Lombok Island. The southern entrance of the IASL II passes near the Nusa Penida Islands, a conservation area in the southeast coast of Bali Island. The Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands are Marine Conservation Areas in the Lombok Strait, IASL II, refer to Map in the annex. 2 The Gili Islands have a Marine Conservation Area status that is categorized as a Marine Tourism Park and consists of three islands, namely Gili Ayer Island, Gili Meno Island and Gili Trawangan Island. Gili Islands also have many types of coral reefs which constitute a

2 MEPC 71/INF.39 Page 2 fringing reef with potential wide spread of coral reef covered. These areas have been designated as a Marine Conservation Area by Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Decree number 57/Kepmen-KP/ Nusa Penida Islands are designated as Marine Conservation Area in southeast of Bali Island which have a rich biodiversity, with some ha coral reef and more than 296 types of reef which is part of the epicentre of the marine biodiversity and its ecosystems is a regional initiative under the Coral Triangle Initiative. It has some 576 fish species, five species are categorized as new found species by Coral Triangle Center Researchers. This area has been designated as a Marine Conservation Area by Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Decree number 24/Kepmen-KP/ The Coral Triangle is a large coral reef area managed by six countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. Significance of the Gili islands and Nusa Penida Island 4 Gili Ayer, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan are surrounded by coral reef ecosystems. The coral reef types surrounding the three islands are fringing reefs. Coral reef ecosystems in the three islands are the main object of marine tourism. The area of coral reefs in the three islands is ha, that is ha in Gili Trawangan; ha in Gili Meno, and ha in Gili Ayer. Based on the biodiversity of coral reefs and the estimated number of all types of fish in the three islands (based on the scientific research on fish species in Allen and Werner (2002)), there are as many as 511 species of fish. 5 Sea grass meadows provide ecological functions such as: detritus and nutrients; bind to sediment and stabilize the soft substrate; shelter; food; growth; and spawning areas for several marine species (Bengen, 2004). The size of sea grass beds in the three islands is ha, that is: ha in Gili Trawangan; ha in Gili Meno and ha in Gili Ayer. Average number of individuals per m² of the highest found on the east side of Gili Trawangan number 1,358/m², while the smallest area is /m² found on the west side of Gili Trawangan. Among the three islands, Gili Meno is the favourite island for nesting site for turtles and turtle foraging (feeding ground), since it is covered with sea grass more than half of circumference of the island. 6 Nusa Penida Conservation Area covering Nusa Penida Island, Nusa Lembongan Island and Nusa Ceningan Island have a high biological diversity, with approximately ha of coral reefs and 296 coral species including the global coral triangle which is currently a world priority to preserve. Marine Tourism Park of Nusa Penida has in its area, coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass meadows and almost all the important habitats of fish resources, including Manta Ray, marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, across this region. In addition, there are two types of turtles, the Green Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle. This area is also a known sunfish basking site, a place for a deep fish to surface and clean its body from the parasites. The existence of this unique fish species is an important cultural symbol for Local Communities of Klungkung Regency, Bali Island. 7 In addition to these Marine Conservation Areas, the east coast of the island of Bali and the west coast of the island of Lombok support significant tourism operations. In 2016, Gili Matra welcomed around 445,000 tourists, whereas Nusa Penida received around 265,000 tourists. 8 The economic value of ecosystem and biodiversity in those areas is around 310 million USD.

3 International shipping in the proximity of Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands MEPC 71/INF.39 Page 3 9 The Strait of Lombok is the narrowest Strait at the IASL II of Indonesia. The number of vessels passing through the IASL II from January 2016 until May 2016 is 6,472 vessels and comprises 580 oil and chemical tankers and 2,919 cargo vessels. The number of VLCC passing through the Lombok Strait is expected to increase due to increasing traffic in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore and Sunda Strait, and the economic development in East Asia. 10 Indonesia expects increased traffic by yacht and cruise vessels due to adoption of Presidential Decree Number 105 Year 2015 on Foreign Yacht Visit to Indonesia and Minister for Transportation Regulation Number PM 121 Year 2015 on Facilitation for Tourist Visit by Foreign Cruise Ship. Both regulations ease the requirements and facilitate better access of yacht and cruise vessels in tourist destinations. 11 The Lombok Strait is much deeper than the Malacca Strait. Fifteen marine accidents occurred in the period of 2011 to 2016, mostly caused by grounding and collision of passenger ships. This threat potentially increases at a crossing area between a domestic passenger shipping lane and passing vessels in some areas of this IASL II. 12 Local communities believe that the designation status of Gili Islands as Marine Tourism Park and Nusa Penida Islands as Marine Conservation Area could protect and give positive contributions to the biodiversity and minimize the risk of marine disasters. However, continued man-made stresses and threats from international shipping activity, including the risks of incidents and marine pollution may jeopardize the conservation efforts. 13 A draft submission is currently being prepared to propose the designation of the area around Lombok Strait, including the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, with the aim of being considered by the Committee in The most appropriate Associate Protective Measures (APMs) to address the threat from international shipping are currently being considered, including a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) and Ship Reporting System in Lombok Strait. IMO assistance to Indonesia in designating PSSA 14 A draft proposal to designate a PSSA in Lombok Strait including the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida Islands was supported by the IMO/NORAD Cooperation Programme, one of the priority activities of which is to provide assistance to countries within the South East Asia region for the development of proposals for the designation of PSSAs (MEPC 67/15). 15 Indonesia appreciates the assistance of the IMO/NORAD Cooperation Programme and has decided to continue the initiative to propose to designate the Lombok Straits as a PSSA and will submit this information to the Committee to be considered at MEPC 72. Action requested of the Committee 16 The Committee is invited to take note of the information provided. ***

4

5 MEPC 71/INF.39 Annex, page 1 ANNEX MAP DEPICTING THE LOMBOK STRAIT, INDONESIA