Raja Ampat Reloaded – Part 2
This is part two of a report from the Ferraris on their recent trip to Raja Ampat. See part one here.
It’s obvious that the presence of Max Ammer’s tourist operations (traditional, long-standing Kri Eco Resort and the more luxurious and recently completed Sorido Bay Resort) is actually making a difference regarding conservation.
Local fishing communities seem to be accepting Max’s strict views on conservation, and the income his business is providing to many Papuans is clearly convincing them that protecting nature is a good investment. In fact, the whole of Raja Ampat is being taken very seriously by conservationists worldwide and by the Indonesian government. Max recently wrote us announcing that:
“The Raja Ampat Regency Government in West Papua, Indonesia has announced the launch of an annual tag system for visitors to their newly declared network of 7 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The annual plastic tag, modified from the successful Bunaken Marine Park tag, will be valid for 13 months from the 1st of each calendar year and will cost Rp500,000 (US$55) for international visitors and Rp250,000 (US$22) for Indonesian citizens. 70% of the funds will be managed by a multi-stakeholder team for conservation and community development programs. 30% of the fund will go to the Tourism Department for tourism development. The local government engaged the assistance of three major International NGOs - Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and WWF - to help define the most valuable areas of Raja Ampat for protection. Currently they are helping to develop management plans with the local communities and enforcement agencies appropriate for each area. The Coral Reef Alliance assisted with the development and socialization of the tag system with the diving community. Raja Ampat has been found to have the highest biodiversity of fish and corals within the Coral Triangle. All visitors to Raja Ampat will need to pay this fee. We will collect payment at our two resorts (Sorido Bay & Kri Eco) on behalf of Conservation International and the local government”.
Raja Ampat is in the news – it’s a hot destination, the place you cannot miss visiting. For those who do not know yet, this is a large area at the tip of Vogelskop (or Bird’s Head) peninsula at the western tip of the island of Papua New Guinea, which is itself equally split in the middle into two separate nations: independent Papua New Guinea to the East, and West Papua, a province of Indonesia once known as Irian Jaya, in the West. .
Raja Ampat itself comprises about 600 limestone islands and islets, the majority of which are unpopulated and shrouded in virgin lowland forest, often with impenetrable, thick, blue-water mangrove belts surrounding them.
The karst nature of the rock - covered by an incredibly thin layer of fertile soil originating from decaying organic matter - is responsible for the very dry nature of the place, with abundant seasonal rainfall disappearing almost immediately into the crevices of the rocky substrate. Fresh water is at a premium, and at the same time its scarcity is a blessing in disguise, as it makes development of most islands impossible.
Max Ammer’s Kri Eco Resort and Sorido Bay Resort on Kri island currently are the only land-based operations. A few liveaboards also show up in the area, but by all accounts, this is a real frontier (the last one?) where ordinary maintenance is still challenging, costs of living are still very high (everything has to be brought in by boat) and where professional underwater photographers and marine life scientists from all over the world are busy congregating.
Drop in at beautiful, well-appointed Sorido Bay Resort, and you might bump into people like David Doubilet, Gerry Allen, Stephen Wong & Takako Uno or any number of other well known people from the marine community!
