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World Ocean Summit (WOS) - Manado 2009
05 April 2007
What is WOS? - A high level global meeting of head of the states and leaders that have coastal and marine territories.
Why hold WOS ?
International agreements and conventions are important and have been adequately accepted. However, there is a lack of political willingness to drive forward and further implement such agreements.
WOS'09 will provide a platform where world leaders and decision makers will come together to make commitments for sustainable development of marine resources.
Given the fact that Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country and possesses the highest marine biodiversity in the world, the summit will strengthen Indonesia's participation in the regional and international forum.
Gradual degradation of marine and fisheries resources has been related to over fishing, pollution, and climate change. Global effort to stop this trend is urgently required.
Goal
To achieve international commitments in sustainable development of marine resources for the prosperity of all humankind.
WOS activities
- Senior Official Meeting
- The Summit in Manado
- Working group discussion
- Excursion
WOS Issues
- Ocean Governance
- Ocean Environment & Sustainability
- Ocean Disaster Mitigation
- Ocean as the Next Frontier
What should we expect from WOS?
- International commitment to manage the ocean for the benefit of humankind, as manifested in the 'Manado Ocean Declaration'.
- Establishment of the center for tropical marine activities. Such as marine tourism, ocean heritage management, and ocean policy in Indonesia
- Establishment of the International network of ocean experts.
Visas and Immigration - updated
05 April 2007
Visa-Free Short Visit
11 countries and territories are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility. Those holding valid passports from the following countries will be granted a non-extendable 30-day Visa-Free Short Visit Permit upon arrival at an Indonesian international gateway without charge:
Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore
The official entry requirements for the issuance of a visa-free short visit permit:
1. Passport must be from one of the eleven countries listed above.
2. Passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 (six) months from the date of entry into Indonesia.
3. Onward or return tickets are compulsory.
4. Visitors must enter and exit through one of the 15 airports, 21 seaports or 1 overland border post officially approved as an 'international gateway' by the Indonesian Immigration department.
Visa on Arrival Facility (VOA)
Visitors holding valid passports from certain countries can obtain either a 7 day or 30 day non-extendable visa at any of the 15 airports and 21 seaports designated as 'international gateways' by the Indonesian Immigration department. The fee for this visa, payable upon landing, is US$10 for a 7 day visa and US$25 for a 30-day visa.
Nationals of the following countries are eligible to purchase a "visa on arrival (VOA)": (Updated June 6, 2006)
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Liechensteia, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America
The official entry requirements for the issuance of a 30 or 7 days day visa-on arrival:
1. Passport must be from one of the countries listed above.
2. Passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 (six) months from the date of entry into Indonesia.
3. Payment of US$10 or US$25 must be paid at the gateway, depending on the length of visa required.
4. Onward or return tickets are compulsory.
5. Visitors must enter and exit through one of the 15 airports or 21 seaports officially approved as an 'international gateway' by the Indonesian Immigration department.
Visas-on-arrival are non-extendable and non-convertible to another class of visa. Overstays are charged US$20 per day for over stays up to 60 days. Overstay violations over 60 days are liable to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of Rp. 25 million.
The visa on arrival facility is only available at the following international gateways:
Airports: Medan, Pekanbaru, Padang, Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Halim Perdana Kusuma (Jakarta), Surabaya, Bali, Manado, Yogyakarta, Solo, Mataram (Lombok), Balikpapan, Makassar, Kupang.
Seaports: Batam, Tanjung Uban (Bintan), Belawan (Medan), Sibolga (Sumatra), Dumai, Teluk Bayar (Padang, Sumatra), Padang Bai (Bali), Jayapura (Papua), Padang (Sumatra), Bitung (North Sulawesi), Tanjung Balaikarimun, Tanjung Mas (Semarang), Kupang, Pare Pare (South Sulawesi), Makassar (South Sulawesi).
Applying for Visas Before Arrival
Citizens of countries not included on a visa-free or visa-on-arrival lists must apply for a visa overseas before arriving in Indonesia. Citizens of any country wishing to stay more than 30 days must also apply for an appropriate visa at their nearest Indonesian Embassy or Consulate before traveling to Indonesia.
It seems that a 60 day visa can be issued on request in most Asian countries for all nationalities within 2 days. You may check with your local Indonesian Embassy as well, where you will probably need to give a viable reason why you need a 60 day visa vs a 30 day visa.
Source: Bali Discovery
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Planning on diving or snorkeling during your vacation
in North Sulawesi? Keep a sharp eye out for
unusual beasts, as the spectacularly diverse reefs of
Bunaken National Park, Lembeh Strait and the
Bangka/Talise Archipelago continue to yield new
species on a regular basis! Though you may have
thought the days of biological discovery faded after
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace, the past
five years have seen a host of new discoveries from
North Sulawesi's reefs – ranging from a 2m-long ancient
fish to tiny pygmy seahorses.
Perhaps the most celebrated discovery from
North Sulawesi in the recent past was the Manado
coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis, in 1998
(see Flora & Fauna page).
This ancient denizen of the deep was thought to have gone extinct
79 million years ago, and made headlines around the
world when a living specimen was found in South
Africa in 1938. For 60 years, the fish with lobed fins
(thought to be an evolutionary precursor to fourlegged
land animals) was known only from the Western
Indian Ocean. The discovery of a new species of
coelacanth from Manado Tua Island in Bunaken National
Park – over 10,000 km from the closest previous
known population in the Comoros Islands –
shocked the scientific world and again made headlines
in magazines, newspapers and television documentaries
in over 40 countries. While you won't be
able to swim with the Manado coelacanths without
the use of technical diving equipment (they live below
100m depth in volcanic caves), just knowing these
ancient beasts are hunting on the same reefs you are
enjoying adds a thrill of the mysterious.
On the other end of the fish size spectrum, two new
species of pygmy seahorse have recently been discovered
in Lembeh Strait and Bunaken. While you may
be familiar with the perennially sought-after, red or
pinkish Hippocampus bargibanti that lives on Muricella
seafans, just this year a smaller, thinner orange species,
Hippocampus denise Lourie and Randall 2003, was
named after Denise Tackett – a professional photographer
with a long-time base at Kungkungan Bay Resort in
Lembeh Strait. H. denise is reportedly much more active
than H. bargibanti, and is found on a range of different
yellow and orange seafans. An additional
pygmy seahorse species discovered by Hence Pontoh
(a dive guide from Froggies Divers) on Bunaken Island
is currently being described as well. This species
is also smaller, thinner and more active than H.
bargibanti, has been seen in a range of colors
(white,green, and yellow), and is found primarily on
hydroids and bryozoans.
But fish aren't the only new species being described
from North Sulawesi. In the past three years, two large
species of yellow and orange mantis shrimp,
Lysiosquillina lisa Ahyong and Randall 2001 and
Lysiosquilloides mapia Erdmann and Boyer 2003, have
been described from Lembeh Strait and Bunaken.
Two additional new species of mantis shrimp from
North Sulawesi are currently being described as well,
including the first known sponge-dwelling mantis. As
for cephalopods, the waters of North Sulawesi are rich
in new and undescribed species – including the wellknown
(but still undescribed) mimic octopus and
"wonderpus", as well as the so-called "blandopus".
Scientists are working with dive centers in the area to
properly describe these species in the near future.
Even Bunaken's corals harbor surprises – in 1997, a
new species of table coral, Acropora batunai Wallace
1997, was named after one of the fathers of Manado
diving and the founder of MUREX Dive Resort, Dr.
Hanny Batuna.
While many of these new species have also been
found elsewhere in the "Coral Triangle" comprising
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines,
many were first photographed in our area – a tribute
to North Sulawesi's position in the Center of Marine
Biodiversity.
Even those who don't dive should stay alert for
new species – the coelacanth discovery was the product
of an early morning stroll through Manado's fish
market (a highly recommended side excursion for
those who like fish and lots of action – but get there
before 7:30am or after 4:30pm for both the best fish
selection and selling action as well as the best lighting
for pictures and video). Happy hunting!
June 2003
Dr. MV Erdmann
Marine Protected Areas Advisor,
NRM III North Sulawesi
Photo: Hansjörg Berger
Source:
"What's Happening?"
Manado Safari Tours Newsletter
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