Conservation Success Story: Dr. Batuna & Bunaken Marine Park
This is a conservation success story: Gazing out over the mirror-glass waters of Bunaken Marine Park, with its pristine island beaches and bustling coral reefs, visitors could be forgiven for seeing this region as the epitome of peace and tranquility. But it hasn’t always been this way. Securing protected status for these waters, and the natural wonders they contain, was a battle; the lifelong mission of one man and his family: Dr. Batuna
Dr. Hansie ‘Hanny’ Batuna was known globally as North Sulawesi’s first SCUBA diver, who dedicated his life to exploring the ocean, discovering new dive sites, and protecting them from exploitation. In 1987, he and his wife Ineke founded Murex Dive Resorts to further this mission and share the wonders of Sulawesi with the world.
Dr. Batuna at Murex Manado Resort
Bunaken Marine Park: A Lasting Legacy
But arguably Dr. Batuna’s greatest legacy can be found, not in the bricks and mortar of the resort he built, but in the spectacular marine biodiversity that proliferates just beyond the shore. In addition to providing the first and only recompression chamber in Manado, he trained local divers and helped establish a strong diving community in the region, and was also a driving force behind the creation of Bunaken Marine Park.
Bunaken Marine Park is located in the center of the Coral Triangle, and is perhaps one of the most spectacular dive destinations in the entire region. The park has seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, and is home to more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific. The Park features more than 8,000 hectares of coral reefs, extensive seagrass beds, and vast mangrove forests.
The park was established in 1991. For the Batuna family, it was a major milestone in their journey. In her role as a Project Manager for WWF-Indonesia, Dr Batuna’s daughter, Angelique, was instrumental in the process. Today, she continues to follow in her father’s footsteps and continue his work; together with her husband, Danny Charlton, she is the co-owner of Murex Resorts.
North Sulawesi, Celebes Sea, Murex Manado
Father of the Diving Community in North Sulawesi
Back in 2000, a participatory management system was established for the region by the Bunaken Marine Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB). This initiative represented a collaborative effort between local communities, the private sector, universities, and local government; together, they coordinated scientific studies and conservation activities in the park, with support from sustainable sources of financing.
In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Batuna was appointed to the board of the prestigious Historical Diving Society in 2024. Sadly, he passed away later that year. In 2018, he was posthumously inducted into the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame (ISDHF); founded in 2000, the awards recognize those in the diving community who have made outstanding contributions to the success and growth of recreational SCUBA diving in terms of travel, education, exploration, and adventure.
Bunaken: A Haven for Marine Turtles
Bunaken Marine Park has since become a haven for green and hawksbill sea turtles, where they are protected. Their nesting sites are dotted throughout the region, from Bunaken island to the nearby islets of Siladen and Manado Tua. Regular patrols and tagging activities in the park help to monitor turtle populations and support their protection; recent studies have also revealed that populations have doubled since the 1990s, which is due in no small part to the hard work of Dr Batuna and his family.
The boundaries of the current Bunaken National Park are currently being expanded to cover other neighboring islands and protect them from destructive and unregulated natural resource extraction. Until recently, Bangka Island was threatened by illegal mining, but after advocacy from local dive communities and an 8-year court battle that reached the Supreme Court in Jakarta, the mining company was finally denied all permits in 2017.
A Conservation Success Story with Enormous Potential
“Providing havens for fish and marine mammals will bolster their surrounding populations,” explains Alex Rose, Science Editor at Ocean Geographic. “By expanding the boundary of protection for the park, there is enormous potential for additional positive spillover effects in neighboring areas that are equally as dependent upon these marine resources as are the people who live within the current park limits.”
In 2018, Bunaken Marine Park was named a Mission Blue Hope Spot in recognition of the profound impact a community can make when they rally together to protect the ocean through education and hands-on conservation. Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, says, “The Bunaken Marine Park represents a tremendous success story and the positive impact it can have when people do what they can to protect the ocean.” She continues, “If this group of conservationists can do that for Bunaken, why not the rest of the Indonesian islands?”
Looking to the Future
Through the tireless efforts of pioneers like Dr Batuna and his family, progress made in Bunaken offers reason for optimism. As Alex Rose explains, “communities in places like Bunaken remind me of how much hope we need to have for the future; in our current political climate and its rampant disregard for environmental policy, it is easy to get discouraged.”
Before he passed away, Dr Batuna was asked how to make Murex successful, and how to keep Bunaken Marine Park safe. His answer was simple: “Just keep it going”. Having dedicated his life to exploring, sharing, and protecting the natural wonders of North Sulawesi, Dr Batuna’s legacy lives on. For visitors to Murex, every trip out into the wide blue yonder of Bunaken Marine Park is a celebration of his achievements and a continuation of his legacy; every moment of wonder keeps his spirit alive.
Murex’s flagship program, Passport to Paradise, was Dr. Batuna’s dream come true – sharing the diversity and the beauty of North Sulawesi through three iconic locations (Bunaken, Bangka, and Lembeh). To book your next North Sulawesi diving adventure, and to explore the wonders Dr Batuna worked so hard to conserve, please get in touch via reservations@murexdive.com.
