JINATO ISLAND & TINABO ISLAND

TAKA BONERATE NATIONAL PARK

Stretching south from the main island of Sulawesi into the Flores Sea is the Taka Bonerate National Park, comprising 21 islands. Spread out over 220,000 hectares this is the largest coral reef in Indonesia and is rich in marine life and also a variety of bird species. At Jinato Island (1700m x 800m) we were greeted enthusiastically by the chiefs and many of the villagers (1260 inhabitants). This is only the 2nd time that they have had tourists from a commercial ship (the first being the Caledonia Sky 5 days previously) We walked around with the villagers and saw the industries that sustain their lifestyles, mainly boat building and fishing. Vegetables are hardly found on this island, but hydroponic farming is being developed. We visited the experimental centre and also saw a turtle that had been caught in a fisherman’s net. They nurse them back to health and then release them into the sea. Some students have their own smart phones, however, internet is not accessible from the island due to poor network coverage. Electricity is only available from jointly- used generators from 18:00 to 24:00. 16 miles away, at Tinabo Island we met with the conservationists and saw how they were regenerating the coral on racks which they placed in the sea to fill the gaps that needed coral. We saw the small reef sharks, which they feed in an attempt to help rear them. We walked around the island (30 mins) and were shocked at the amount of rubbish that drifts up onto the shore, especially plastic bottles. We then went snorkelling in the clear waters.