Bintuni Bay () is the eastward extension or inner bay of Berau Gulf in western

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. It separates the

Bird's Head Peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: , , meaning Bird's Head in Indonesian and Dutch) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai'') is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indones ...

on the north from the

Bomberai Peninsula Bomberai Peninsula () is located in the Western New Guinea region. It is south of the Bird's Head Peninsula, and Bintuni Bay separates the two peninsulas. To the west lies the Sebakor Bay and to the south Kamrau Bay. On the southeast Arguni ...

on the south. Administratively it is part of West Papua,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The bay is wide at its entrance and there are extensive marshes along the shore. Bintuni Bay is located on the Southern end of the

in West Papua, Indonesia. The bay is elongated with a total length of 160km and 70km wide at the mouth. Bintuni Bay is the inner bay with extensive river and mangrove habitats, known for one of the largest contiguous mangrove forests in the world, covering approximately 300,000 hectares of area on land and another 600,000 hectares to the 10m water depth. Mangrove forests play an important role in the ecosystem because they serve as a habitat for various types of animals, including birds, fish, and other marine biota. Mangrove forests in Bintuni Bay also serve as natural protection from coastal erosion, abrasion, and function in mitigating

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

by absorbing large amounts of carbon. More than 30 species of mangroves have been recorded growing in Bintuni Bay, reflecting the extraordinary biodiversity of the area. Undisturbed mangrove stands can grow up to 30 meters high, making it one of the most magnificent and pristine mangrove areas in Indonesia.Sasmito SD, Sillanpää M, Hayes MA, et al. Mangrove blue carbon stocks and dynamics are controlled by hydrogeomorphic settings and land-use change. Glob Change Biol. 2020; 26: 3028–3039. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15056 With the area of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

forest it has, Bintuni Bay is the second largest in the world after the

Sundarbans Sundarbans (; pronounced ) is a mangrove forest area in the Ganges Delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal ...

, a mangrove forest area located on the border between India and Bangladesh.Murdiyarso, D., Sasmito, S.D., Sillanpää, M. et al. Mangrove selective logging sustains biomass carbon recovery, soil carbon, and sediment. Sci Rep 11, 12325 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91502-x Mangrove Teluk Bintuni

Bintuni Bay Nature Reserve, also known as Teluk Bintuni Nature Reserve, protects the mangrove wetlands in the northeastern portion of the bay. It has an area of 1248.51 km². In addition to its ecological value, the mangrove area in Bintuni Bay also has economic value. Many local communities depend on the mangrove forest for their livelihoods, such as fishing, collecting non-timber forest products, and ecotourism. Conservation of mangrove forests in this area is very important, considering the threats from illegal logging, changes in land use, and potential exploitation for industrial interests. Conservation efforts involving the government, local communities, and various environmental organizations are important steps to ensure the sustainability of this rich mangrove ecosystem.

Notes

{{Authority control Bays of Indonesia Landforms of West Papua (province) Landforms of Western New Guinea Protected areas of Western New Guinea

See also

Notes