Understand
Bunaken is one of Indonesia's most famous diving and snorkeling areas
and it draws visitors from all over the world. In addition to
banana-shaped Bunaken Island itself, the 890 km2 of marine national park
includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua (a distinctive cone-shaped extinct volcano), Siladen, Mantehage, Nain, and Nain Kecil.
Some 20,000 local inhabitants make their living from the waters
in the Bunaken National Marine Park, and this has inevitably led to some
conflicts. By and large though, the co-operation between national and
local government authorities, conservation groups, business owners and
local communities has been very successful here. This has led many to
cite Bunaken as a model example of how Indonesia should be preserving
its natural marine treasures.
