Plant and Animal in the National Marine Park of Cendrawasih Bay

The National Marine Park of Cendrawasih Bay is the habitat of various kinds of flora and fauna both for the protected and unprotected species. If you are interested in taking a sightseeing and snorkeling tour in this area, I suggest that you come with some of your friends. Don't forget to bring your own diving equipment, including the compressor. Cendrawasih bay is the largest national marine park in Indonesia. Some divers who have visited it claim that it is also the best. It is located in remote location. There are not any diving centers operating in the islands of Cendrawasih bay.

Wasior

Cendrawasih bay of West Papua is a beautiful place. Most of its diving sites haven't been explored by divers. So far, the types of mollusc which have been identified are 196 from 3 classes and 56 families. The waters in Cendrawasih bay is also the habitat of various of turtles. Divers can see scale turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), green turtle (Chelonia mydas) lekang turtle (Lephidochelys olivaceae) and "star-fruit" turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Villagers frequently see dugong fish (Dugong dugong), bumphead parrotfish, aeobatus narinari, blacktip shark, blue whale (Triaenodon obesus), and estuary crocodile. From the 37 kinds birds which have been identifed, 18 of them are being protected. There are 64 types of vegetations in the islands ranging from coastal plants up to mountainous plants (up to 467 meters above sea level). Some of these plants are mangrove (Rhizophora sp., Avicennia sp. Bruguiera sp., Sibberatuia sp., Ceriops sp.); thatch palm (Nypa frutican), sagu (Metroxylon sp.), pandanus, coastal casiarina tree (Casuarina equisetifolia), ketapang tree (Terminalia catappa), Xylocarpus granatum, and etc. The National Marine Park is rich of animals. The types which have been identified are 200 coral reefs, 209 fishes, 196 molluscs, 5 reptiles, 3 water mamals, 37 birds, including 183 land animals. The marine ecosystem of Cendrawasih bay is the habitat of estuary, mangrove and pelagic fish. Some of them are butterfly fish, angelfish, damselfish, parrotfish, rabbitfish, anemonefish, surgeonfish, triggerfish. Fish that have high economic values are lutjanida, serranida, carangina, scromberomorus sp., katauwonus sp., eythumnus sp., and chellinus undulatus ruppell.