North Misool MPA
313,708 hectares
To the north of the Area IV Water Conservation Area of the Misool Islands, precisely in the waters to the east and north there is a Water Conservation Area in the North Misool Region, which since its inception was accompanied by the West Papua Nazareth Foundation (YNPB) and Conservation International (CI) Indonesia – now called Conservation Indonesia.
The milestone in the formation of this area in North Misool was the declaration of the North Misool Traditional Marine Conservation Area in 2018, which was substantially a collective aspiration agreed upon by the Matbat and Matlou people who live in nine villages there, namely: Salafen; Waigama; Aduwey; Solal; Atkari; Audam; East Limalas; West Limalas, and; Foley.
This declaration was then ratified through Decree of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Number 191 of 2023 with an area of 308,777.35 hectares.
The North Misool water area is a body of water with high biological natural resource potential. Starting from ecosystems and coral reefs which really support fisheries activities so far, dugong (Dugong dugong) habitat, marine mammal crossing areas such as whales and dolphins, important habitat for sharks and manta rays, to habitat for saltwater crocodile populations that still exist. often found at several river estuaries there.
However, like other water areas in Raja Ampat, the great potential also produces challenges that are no less big; especially in the absence of effective governance.
The waters in North Misool are a target for destructive fishing activities such as the use of bombs and potash, as well as unsustainable fishing activities such as the operation of charts and fisheries using large-scale fishing gear, as well as the illegal trade in protected plants and wild animals.
In August to September 2019, a team from the Regional Public Service Agency Regional Technical Implementation Unit (BLUD UPTD) Management of Conservation Areas (KK) in the waters of the Raja Ampat Islands, the University of Papua (UNIPA), YNPB, CI Indonesia, and The The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – now called the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation, is carrying out a marine rapid assessment program (MRAP) in the waters of North Misool.
The MRAP was carried out at 26 dive points, where more than 300 species of coral fish were recorded at at least four dive points, with the highest record reaching 388 species of coral fish. In addition, this rapid study also recorded several species of reef fish that had never been identified before.
The Water Conservation Area in the North Misool Region is also an important habitat for dugongs (Dugong dugon). Starting in 2008, YNPB together with the community have started a population identification program in dugong foraging areas, namely in the Salafen, Waigama and Aduwey waters. This program was followed up with the establishment of a traditional dugong conservation area initiative, surveillance patrol activities, and the formation of the Dugong Friends Group.