TAMAN NASIONAL
KEPULAUAN SERIBU
Geographical location : 106°25-106°37 E ; 5°23-5°40 S
Administrative Location : Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta
Area : 107,489 hectares
Temperature : 21° - 34° C
Rainfall : 3,000 mm/year (on average)
Altitude : 0 - 3 masl.
Best time to visit : March - August
(Kepulauan Seribu National Park) is one of Indonesia's marine conservation
areas, located 45 km north of Jakarta.
Consist of 78 coral islands, with average altitude not more than 3
masl. Hundreds of years ago, the islands were formed upon colonies of dead
coral. These colonies initially grew on shallow sea beds, their upper layers
breached the surface and were weathered. Later, pioneer plants such as bushes
and several tree species began to grow on the coral. The surface of the islands
is quite different from soil-covered ground, and this is reflected in their
diverse plant and animal life.
In general, the plants that grow in the Park are dominated by coastal
species like coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), pandan (Pandanus sp.), cemara laut
(Casuarina equisetifolia), cangkudu (Morinda citrifolia), butun (Barringtonia
asiatica), mangrove (Bruguiera sp.), sukun (Artocarpus altilis), ketapang
(Terminalia cattapa), and kecundang (Cerbena adollam).
Sea vegetation commonly found in the park consists of seaweed
divisions like Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta and Phaeophyta as well as classes of sea
grasses like Halimeda sp., Padina sp., Thalasia sp., Sargasum sp., and Caulerpa
sp..
This park is home of 54 sea biota species which form part of the coral
reef ecosystem, 144 species of fish, 2 species of giant clam, 6 species of sea
grass, sea worms of various colours and 17 species of coastal bird, also
iguanas, golden ring snakes and pythons that mostly found on coastal area.
Hatching site for hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and green
turtle (Chelonia mydas). The hawksbill turtle is an endangered species and is
rarely found in other waters. These turtles are bred on Pramuka Island. This
activity is aimed at recovering the turtle population, which had almost reached
extinction. Breeding activities include egg hatching in a semi-natural way and
caring for the baby turtles till they are ready to be released into their
natural habitat.
Interesting locations/attractions :
Pramuka, Semak Daun, Kelapa, and Panggang Islands : turtle breeding,
observing animals, and marine tours.
Pramuka, Opak, and Karang Congkak Islands : wreck diving.
Panjang, Putri, Pelangi, and Perak Islands : marine tours organized by
a private company.
Semut, Karang Congkak, Karang Kroja, Kotok Besar, Kotok Kecil, and
Gosong Laga Islands : diving and snorkelling.