Prolonging me : Time To Speak UP !!: Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat - The Coral Triangle

Raja Ampat exists in the center of coral triangle, that is the center of the richest natural tropical marine diversity in the world.

Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau.

It encompasses more than 40,000 km² of land and sea, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya. The islands are the most northern pieces of land in the Australian continent.

With 1,309 fish species, 537 coral species and around 828 coral fish species, and also dusted with the beautiful coral islands, make this area has a high value as the natural conservation and tourism interest.

The Coral Triangle

Stony corals: Scleractinia · Blue coral · Brain coral · Elkhorn coral · Hermatypic coral · Pillar coral · Staghorn coral · Table coral.Soft corals: Alcyonacea · Black coral · Bamboo coral · Organ pipe coral · Sea fans · Sea pens.
Soft corals: Alcyonacea · Black coral · Bamboo coral · Organ pipe coral · Sea fans · Sea pens
.Coral reefs: Atoll reef · Cay · Fringing reef · Microatoll · Coral reef fish · Census of Coral Reefs · The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs
Coral regions: Deep water coral · Andros, Bahamas · Belize Barrier Reef · Coral Sea Islands · Coral Triangle · Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary · Great Barrier Reef · Maldives · Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System · New Caledonia Barrier Reef · Pulley Ridge · Raja Ampat Islands · Red Sea · Southeast Asian coral reefs.
Coral diseases: Coral bleaching · Black band disease · Skeletal eroding band · White band disease · White pox disease.
.Protection: Coral reef protection · Project AWARE · Reef Check · Reef Ball · Coral Reef Alliance · International Society for Reef Studies.
Other: Artificial reef · Coral biology · Coral dermatitis · Coral (precious) · Coral rag · Coral sand · Coralline algae · Environmental issues · Fire coral · Rugosa (extinct) · Tabulate (extinct) · Zooxanthella.

Raja Ampat’s wealth of resources faces an equally varied array of threats:

Destructive fishing practices such as dynamite and poison fishing, damage reefs.
The targeting of vulnerable species, including turtles, sharks, crocodiles, groupers and Napoleon wrasse.
Deforestation taxes the region’s resources thins the region’s ecologically vital stands of vegetation.
Rapid development and poor land use practices diminishes and damages marine environments.

The greatest source of hope in the Coral Triangle is the people, who depend upon it so heavily. The region’s citizens are realizing what’s at stake and looking for solutions.