The park was established because of the marine bio-diversity it supports, because it is a migratory route for protected animals and because it is of high economic value for fisheries and tourism. There are over 20,000 residents in the area who depend on the natural resources of the park. The fear was that if the area was uncontrolled then over-fishing, destructive fishing practices and unchecked pollution would ruin the marine habitat which would be to the detriment of everyone concerned. In addition to its huge biodiversity Bunaken is also a place where rare and endangered animals can be found such as coelacanths, dugongs, whales, dolphins and turtles.
The park has a unique bathymetry, which is an attraction to tourists diving at Bunaken Island. The absence of a continental shelf in the northern part of North Sulawesi allows the coastal area to drop directly down the continental shelf
- There are at least 58 different genera and sub-genera of corals in the park.
- The number of different fish species is estimated at 2,000.
- The deepest water is around 1,360 metres between Manado Tua and Montehage.
- There are about 25 dive sites in Bunaken
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