Situated within the Bird’s Head Seascape and nestled at the heart of the Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat stands out as one of the planet’s most diverse marine locations. Spanning approximately 4.6 million hectares of both land and sea, with over 2 million hectares designated as a Marine Protected Area, this archipelago boasts a home to over 1,600 fish species, 75% of the world’s known coral species, six out of seven vulnerable to critically endangered sea turtle species, and 17 recognized marine mammal species.
Robust deep-sea currents channel nutrients into Raja Ampat’s extensive network of fringing, barrier, patch, and atoll reefs, extending further into its mangroves, marine lakes, and seagrass beds. These currents give rise to intricate food webs that sustain an astonishing variety of marine life. Often referred to as the ‘species factory,’ Raja Ampat represents a globally significant biodiversity hotspot. The reefs encompassing its 1,411 islands provide essential nutrition and support local livelihoods.
Raja Ampat’s coral reefs burst with an unparalleled spectrum of life and vibrant colors, a phenomenon unmatched anywhere else on Earth. Radiantly colored soft corals and sea fans, sponges, tunicates, crinoids, and hard corals combine to create homes for mollusks, crustaceans, nudibranchs, giant clams, urchins, and sea stars. Schools of vividly hued reef fish, such as parrotfish, tangs, and rainbow runners, traverse the coral landscapes. Dense gatherings of snapper, sweetlips, and barracuda effortlessly ride the currents, while tuna and sharks elegantly patrol the waters. Amidst the mangroves, subtler hues emerge, with mangrove roots and corals providing shelter for juvenile fish, sharks, and macro invertebrates like sea snails, flatworms, crabs, and shrimp.
It is due to this exceptional marine biodiversity and the profound interdependence between local communities and this biodiversity that Raja Ampat deserves recognition as a global conservation priority.

Restoration Project

Save East Coast Reef has partnered up with The Sea People organization to restore damaged reef sites in Raja Ampat, West Papua. They are doing a tremendous amount of work in the area and kept working with the local people to scout, restore, and monitor the reef sites. Their project includes:

1. Substrate stabilization.

In the late 80s to early 2000s, fishing practice was not monitored by the local government. Fishermen would use dynamite or cyanide for fishing which would damage and degrade the reef. Until this day, many of the the destroyed reefs have not recovered.

2. Mitigate Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS)

These are coral eating starfish which can damage the entire reef if their populations are not contained immediately.

Coral bleaching caused by a blue Crown of Thorns starfish eating the coral leaving ‘bleached’ footprints. (picture credit: placebo365)

To see the documentation and last update on the reef restoration, please see this link