Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) is the only regency of Jakarta, Indonesia. A string of 105 stretching 45 km north into the Java Sea, with the closest lying in Jakarta Bay only a few kilometres of mainland Jakarta.Kepulauan Seribu National Park, with a total area is 107,489 hectares, located at the geographical location is 106
The Kepulauan Seribu chain is a place of enchanting natural beauty. The simphony of calls of the creatures on these small green islands, combined with the sound of thundering wafes and golden sunshine at dusk bring a sense of calm and tranquility to all those who visit the park.
The 78 coral islands, both large and small, with an average altitude of not more than 3 m asl, form a chain. Hundreds of year ago, the islands were formed upon colonies of dead coral. These colonies initially grew on shallow sea beds, their upper layer 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 (Barringtionia asiatica), mangrove (Bruguiera sp.), sukun (Artocarpus altilis), ketapang (Terminalia cattapa) and kecundang (Cerbena adollam).
Sea vegetation commonly found in the park consist of seaweed like Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, and Phaeophyta as well as classes of sea grases like Halimeda sp., Padina sp., Sargasum sp., and Caulerpa sp.
The dominan animals in the park include 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.The park forms a hatching site for Hawkbill 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 readi to be released into their natural habitat.
Most coastal areas of this park surrounded by mangrove forest, where iguanas, golden ring snakes and phytons can be found. In 1972, Ali Sadikin, then governor of Jakarta, declared Onrust Island is protected historical site. In 2002 the administration made Onrust and its three neighbors : Cipir, Kelor and Bidadari an archaeological park to protect the artifacts and ruins on the islands that date back to the time of the Dutch East India Company.
The Onrust Archaeology Park consist of four islands that are relatively close to Jakarta, within at most two kilometers from each other and that form a rough square.
Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 6310/Kpts-II/2002, July 13, 2002.
