In the heart of the Coral Triangle
The Raja Ampat, or "Four Kings", archipelago encompasses around 4 million hectares of land and sea off the north-western tip of Indonesia's West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat hold the richest variety of coral species recorded in the world. Raja Ampat includes the four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands.
The area's massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resilient to threats like coral bleaching and disease — threats that now jeopardise the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat's strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat's coral diversity, its resilience to threats, and its ability to replenish other reefs make it a global priority for marine protection.
The archipelago is part of an area known as the Bird's Head Seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay — the largest marine national park in Indonesia — and Jamursba Medi, home to some of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in the world.
- 4m haof land and sea in the archipelago
- 537confirmed coral species — 75% of all known species
- 1,074fish species recorded for Raja Ampat
- 6marine protected areas declared in December 2006
Survey confirms the highest marine biodiversity on Earth
In 2002, The Nature Conservancy and its partners conducted a scientific survey of the Raja Ampat Islands to collect information on its marine ecosystems, mangroves and forests. The survey brought Raja Ampat's total number of confirmed corals to 537 species — an incredible 75% of all known coral species. In addition, 828 fish species were recorded, raising the known total for Raja Ampat to 1,074. On land, the survey found lush forests, rare plants, limestone outcroppings and nesting beaches for thousands of sea turtles.
Though human impacts here are less severe than elsewhere in Indonesia, Raja Ampat's natural resources are threatened by overfishing and destructive fishing, turtle poaching and unsustainable logging.
Ensuring conservation through partnerships
To address these issues, The Nature Conservancy has worked in close partnership with government, communities, non-profits and the private sector by contributing to the development of a comprehensive conservation action plan to protect Raja Ampat's reefs and forests; helping to incorporate marine protected area management into the regency's long-term planning and policy; and supporting the establishment of a network of marine protected areas for the protection of biodiversity and the sustaining of ecosystem goods and services.
Policies for sustainable resource-use management
The Raja Ampat Regency Government established six new marine protected areas in December 2006, making it the first Indonesian district to declare an MPA network. TNC and Conservation International have worked collaboratively to support the government in planning and managing the network by providing technical assistance, expert advice and education. Through surveys and monitoring of reef health, fish populations and patterns of resource use, TNC has provided technical input towards designing a zoning system and management plans for the Kofiau and South East Misool MPAs — a design intended to let local communities benefit from their marine resources while ensuring fish stocks are protected in no-take areas.
The Raja Ampat Government has also issued a decree for a joint patrolling system involving cross-sectoral divisions of government, law enforcers and communities. TNC supported this initiative by providing a wooden boat serving as a floating patrolling station for Kofiau and Misool, protecting the area from illegal marine activities such as destructive fishing and turtle poaching.
TNC and partners have worked closely with the Tourism and Fisheries Departments and with representatives of the liveaboard dive industry, local non-governmental organisations and local communities to introduce a tourism entrance fee system within Raja Ampat. Funds raised are reinvested into tourism development, conservation and community health projects in Raja Ampat. It remains one of the clearest examples in the Coral Triangle of visitor spending converted directly into recurring conservation income.
Reaching out, taking conservation action
To encourage community participation in conservation initiatives, TNC has conducted a range of activities including a Pride Campaign in collaboration with RARE. The campaign improved conservation awareness among local communities through a series of site-specific education programmes delivered by radio, puppet shows, pamphlets and local gatherings.
A further programme, Education under Sail, uses the 32-metre wooden boat Kalabia to circumnavigate the archipelago and bring conservation education to more than 88 schools in Raja Ampat. The programme offers experiential learning aimed at elementary schoolchildren, with modules including field visits to mangrove forests, coral reefs teeming with life, and seagrass beds where turtles and dugongs feed, alongside games such as Ecosystem Detective and Tantangan Teteruga ("Challenges of the Turtles").
The ultimate goal is to protect Raja Ampat's magnificent reefs while sustaining the livelihoods of local people.
Visiting Raja Ampat
Raja Ampat is one of the most sought-after dive destinations in the world and is served by a growing number of liveaboards and land-based resorts. Diving features everything from manta ray cleaning stations to sandy muck sites, and fish abundance is outstanding. Visitors pay into the marine park entrance fee system described above, which is the mechanism connecting tourism revenue to patrols, monitoring and community projects.
It is also genuinely remote. Mobile coverage is limited once you leave Waisai and Sorong, and most visitors and field teams arrange data connectivity before arrival and plan on working offline for much of a trip. See the wider tourism overview for the region →
Where to go next
Raja Ampat sits at the centre of the region described across this site. Return to the coraltriangle.org homepage for the full overview of the Coral Triangle.