Nusa Lembongan

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Nusa Lembongan is an island southeast of Bali, Indonesia, and part of the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Management

The island is part of the subdistrict of Klungkung. Nusa Lembongan is one of three small islands off the coast of Bali, which make up this sub-district, the others being: Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. Nusa Lembongan is the only one of the three islands with little tourist infrastructure and a popular destination from Bali.

Geography

Nusa Lembongan is approximately eight square miles, its population is estimated at 5,000 inhabitants. Twelve kilometers of the Badung Straits separate Nusa Lembongan from Bali. The island is surrounded by coral reefs and has white sand beaches and small limestone cliffs. Nusa Lembongan is separated from Nusa Cenignan by a shallow channel through which is difficult to navigate at low tide. A suspension bridge for pedestrians and cyclists connects Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Waterways on Nusa Lembongan there is not.

There are three villages on the island. Jungut Batu and Mushroom Bay are the centers of tourism, while a majority of the permanent residents in the village of Lembongan lives.

In the east, the Lombok Strait separates the three islands of Lombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indo-Malayan region and the other types of fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a transition zone between these two major biomes.

The northeast side of the island is flanked by a relatively extensive area of mangroves, a total of about 212 hectares.

Economy

The economy is largely based on tourism and Nusa Lembongan is the only one of three neighboring islands with significant infrastructure. However, it is also operated subsistence agriculture and fishing, and there exists a kelp farm.

Conservation

Environmental protection is considered very important for the future of tourism on the island. In February 2009, opened a local NGO based in Nusa Lembongan, supported by the Nature Conservancy Coral Triangle Center, a community center on the island. The waters around Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida have 247 species of coral and 562 species of reef fish.

Other environmental initiatives include a utility program for the critically endangered Olive Ridley turtles from Sunset Beach on the southwest coast.