Tropical rainforest of Kaki island

Kaki island is a small tropical islet located near Nuni village of the north coast of Manokwari regency. This coral island is still covered with beautiful tropical rainforest that protects it from erosion. Most of the vegetations that we can see in the Kaki island are coconut, ketapang (catappa) and barringtonia asiatica.

To help the indigenous people in the northern coast preserve the tiny rainforest of the island, I try to introduce ecotourism project. I intend to bring foreign tourists there where they can enjoy hiking through the tropical rainforest and bird watching around the coast in the island. In addition to birds, in the morning we can see butterflies eat nectar of flowers both in the Nuni village or in the surrounding forest of the mainland New Guinea.

Besides the beautiful jungle, pristine coral reef can be found thriving around the island. As the tropical rainforest of the sea, coral reef absorbs large amount of carbon dioxide while doing photosynthesis. With eco-tourism scheme, tourists who want to go snorkeling around the island will be transported by motorized outrigger boats that are operated by the local fishermen's there. This additional income will help the fishermen to improve their living condition, and send their children to school without having to exploit the coral reef and the forest of Kaki island too much.

Besides snorkeling, bird watching and hiking, another ecotourism scheme that I can introduce in Nuni village is surfing. Waves in the northern coast reach its highest point between December and February. With more nature lovers and foreigners come to the region, more money can be injected into the local economy through ecotourism project. The interaction between the local people and the tourists can bring new possibilities of raising the awareness about the importance of preserving the environment of the tropical rainforest and the coral reef. The number of tourists visiting Kaki island is not high at the present moment but I expect it to rise next year.

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Tropical rainforest picture of Numpuri islet
Tropical rainforest of Asai river

Tropical rainforest of Numfor island