Marine Protected Area in Raja Ampat
Sustainable Abundance
Raja Ampat is located at the northwestern tip of Southwest Papua, Indonesia, and is part of the Bird's Head Seascape (BLKB), which is also part of the 'heart' of the world's Coral Triangle.
The Raja Ampat region consists of 4.5 million hectares of ocean, 1,500 small islands, coral islands or atolls, and shoals, which surround the four main islands, namely Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool. Crossed by the equator, Raja Ampat has the richest marine biodiversity on Earth.
The Bird’s Head Seascape is 4.5 million hectares of protected coastal and marine areas, which includes Cenderawasih Bay in the east, Raja Ampat Islands in the west, Triton Bay in Kaimana, and Fakfak in the south.
Raja Ampat's rich coastal and marine ecosystems offer a variety of environmental services along with biological and socio-economic benefits, which are a major benefit as well as a source of food for local communities.
However, this abundance also makes it a ‘target’ for economic development in a negative sense, starting from fishing activities (legal and illegal) and irresponsible marine tourism, mining practices, to forest logging activities.
The extraordinary natural riches and fragile location on the edge of the Pacific Ocean have left Raja Ampat plagued by poaching, unregulated commercial fishing and destructive fishing practices.
Marine conservation and sustainable management of biological natural resources in Raja Ampat is a high priority for the national, provincial and district governments.
With a phenomenal abundance of marine species – including charismatic mega fauna such as whale sharks, manta rays and sea turtles – Raja Ampat’s waters are recognized as the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity. Researchers have recorded more than 1,600 species of reef fish and more than 550 species of coral reefs in the region.