SCIENTISTS CONFIRM INDONESIAN ISLANDS CONTAIN
WORLD'S RICHEST CORAL REEFS
New
Fish and Coral Species Found During Scientific
Expedition
(December 13, 2002) -- Some of the world's
most experienced tropical marine scientists,
led by The Nature Conservancy, have just completed
a three-week expedition to the Indonesian
islands of Raja Ampat, where they confirmed
that the area contains the richest coral reefs
in the world.
Based on the live-aboard dive-boat Pindito,
the team of international scientists traversed
700 nautical miles through the Raja Ampat
group, focussing on the islands of Misool,
Wayag and Waigeo. Covering an area of only
61,200 square kilometers (23,630 sq. miles),
this region is easily the most important location
for corals in the world. The team spent three
weeks scuba diving, counting fish and coral
species and recording marine conditions. On
land, they recorded plant and animal life
and interviewed local residents to assess
the overall biodiversity of the Raja Ampat
islands.
The
scientists found that the number of reef fish
and coral species in the area is even greater
than previously expected. At least 465 coral
species were recorded, with at least 20 species
defying identification and under further study.
This brings the total confirmed corals from
the Raja Ampat islands to 505 species, which
is an incredible 64-percent of all known coral
species in the world.
During
the trip, 828 fish species were recorded,
adding an additional 95 (including four new
to Indonesia) and raising the known total
for Raja Ampat to 1,065 species - amongst
the highest diversity in the world. A new
personal record of 284 fish species on single
dive was set by Dr. Gerry Allen at Kofiau
island. When lab results on marine samples
are completed, the scientists expect to find
species of fish and coral that are new to
science.
"The
waters around the Raja Ampat Islands are teeming
with a diversity of fish and corals surpassing
anyplace else on Earth.," said Steve
McCormick, president of The Nature Conservancy.
"This spot is at the heart of the heart
of marine biodiversity, and every effort must
be made to conserve it."
"While
we constantly see reports of decimated and
degraded marine ecosystems in western and
central Indonesia, this survey is clear proof
that there is still a chance to conserve significant,
high quality island and reef ecosystems in
Indonesia," added the Conservancy's Indonesia
Country Director, Dr Ian Dutton. "The
Conservancy is working in partnership with
local communities and government, university
and industry partners to protect this amazing
area."
Raja
Ampat has just become an independent administrative
area, or Kabupaten, and there are concerns
that the need to raise local revenue will
result in widespread extraction of natural
resources. Results of this study will be presented
to the local communities and government to
educate them about the rich biodiversity the
area possesses and solicit ideas on how best
to conserve it.
"Customary
ownership and resource use traditions of the
area mean that some of the reefs have escaped
the ravages common to many other Southeast
Asian reefs," said Dr. Rod Salm, the
Conservancy's director of coastal marine conservation
in Asia-Pacific. "This is a really exciting
opportunity to develop a conservation program
with communities who have a strong personal
and historical commitment to managing their
resources sustainably."
The
scientists found many of the reefs to be in
generally good condition despite the rampant
reef destruction often seen in Southeast Asia.
Parts of reefs damaged by blast and cyanide
fishing showed good recovery, and there were
few signs of the extensive coral bleaching
that devastated reefs in many areas of the
world following the 1998 El Niño. The
fact that the corals resisted bleaching confirms
their resilience and value as a source of
larvae to aid in the recovery of damaged reefs
widely throughout Indonesia, Philippines,
Papua New Guinea and Micronesia.
The
team also noted a virtual absence of sharks
during the trip - only three large sharks
were seen in 500 hours underwater. Over-fishing
has caused a steep decline in the shark population.
Shark fins are highly sought after as a soup
ingredient in Asia. There are around 200 shark-fishing
boats active in this area, and they each can
catch an estimated 240 sharks per month. Once
fins are removed, the bodies are left to rot
on the reefs. The removal of the ecosystem's
top predator is only one of the damaging effects
of humans on the reefs - bombing and cyanide
fishing are still widely practiced, and turtles
are being over-harvested at every location
they nest.
Terrestrial
teams found many unique habitats, particularly
the broken-bottle landscape of karst limestone,
and the mineral-rich soils of the northern
islands. Around these islands the extreme
habitat has resulted in high levels of endemism
- although overall diversity is low, many
of the plant species are found only in this
particular habitat. Several potentially new
species of plants were discovered, including
a new species of the tropical flowering plant
Psychotria on Kawe Island.
Local
communities are very concerned about the damage
being caused to their environment - on the
whole they depend on marine resources for
their livelihood. Consistently, researchers
on the socio-economic team were told by local
villagers that they feel powerless to thwart
the outside resource raiders who do most of
the damage, as they often are backed by powerful
commercial and government interests.
The
Raja Ampat islands are located to the west
of Sorong, on the northwest tip of the island
of New Guinea. The survey included biologists
from The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife
Fund Indonesia, Indonesian Institute of Science,
Western Australian Museum, Harvard Herbarium
and the University of Papua.
More
details of the survey can be found on http://www.reefbase.org/rajaampat/.
The Web site shows pictures taken during the
survey, both underwater and on land, which
can be downloaded and used freely.
