Lake Galela ( id, Danau Galela), also known as Telaga Biru, is a freshwater lake on the island of
Halmahera
Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island.
Hal ...
,
North Maluku,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The city of
Galela borders the lake. The lake has clear waters and rich biodiversity, making it both a fishing ground for locals and a tourist attraction.
Description
Lake Galela is the largest freshwater lake on Halmahera. The lake was likely formed over time by various floods, volcanic eruptions, and ash flows. With the exception of a few shallow shores, the lake has a steep coastline surrounding it.
[Bellwood, P. (2019). Other explored but unexcavated sites. In Bellwood P. (Ed.), ''The Spice Islands in Prehistory: Archaeology in the Northern Moluccas, Indonesia'' (pp. 77-80). Australia: ANU Press. Retrieved August 13, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvk8vzbv.10]
The lake is circled by a traversable road, and as of 2020 31 villages are present on the lake's shores; the main industry on the lake is fishing and tourism, while water from the lake is used in local agriculture.
Motorized boat traffic is banned on the lake (canoes and rafts are used instead),
resulting in the lake maintaining its clear water. The lake has varying levels of biodiversity, and an
environmental impact assessment
Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...
of the lake showed that human activity has an effect on the local phytoplankton population.
One source states that the lake has no shellfish.
According to an April 2020 study, the increasing population of the Galela region threatens the lake's biodiversity.
References
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Galela