Raja Ampat Islands

Raja Ampat Islands 

 

Raja Ampat Islands

 

Raja Ampat Islands is a series of four adjacent group of islands located in the western part of the Bird's Head (Vogelkoop) Papua Island. Administratively, this cluster is under the Raja Ampat, West Papua Province. The islands are now a destination for divers who are interested in the beauty of the underwater scenery. The four islands that are members named by the four biggest islands, namely Waigeo Island, Misool Island, Salawati Island, and Island Batanta.

The origins and history

The origin of the name of Raja Ampat by local myth comes from a woman who found seven eggs. Four grains of which hatch into four princes who separated and each became king ruling in Waigeo, Salawati, Misool Misool East and West. Meanwhile, three other eggs became a ghost, a woman, and a stone. In the course of history, the Raja Ampat region has long been inhabited by the nobility and apply the customary system of Maluku. In this system, a set of human society. Each village is led by a king. Since its founding five Muslim sultanate in the Moluccas, Raja Ampat became part of the Sultanate of Tidore claims. After the defeat of the Dutch Empire Tidore, Raja Ampat Islands became part of the Dutch East Indies claim.

Community

Raja Ampat Islands society generally traditional fishermen who resided in small villages are located far apart and different islands. They are a friendly community receive visitors from outside, especially if we bring a souvenir for them in the form of nut or candy. This stuff becomes a sort of 'peace pipe indian' in Raja Ampat. The event chatting with nut eating also called "Para-para Pinang" often take turns throwing each other mob, the local term for funny stories. They are Muslims and Christians and often within a family or clan members who are embracing one of the two religions. It makes the people of Raja Ampat remain in harmony despite different beliefs. 

Natural resources

Raja Ampat Islands is a place that has the potential to serve as a tourist attraction, especially diving tour. Raja Ampat Islands waters according to various sources, is one of the 10 best waters for diving sites around the world. In fact, it may also be recognized as number one for the completeness of underwater flora and fauna at this time. Dr. John Veron, coral experienced experts from Australia, for example, in a site it is revealed, the Raja Ampat Islands are located in the most western tip of New Guinea, about 50 miles northwest of Sorong, has the best reef areas in Indonesia. Approximately 450 species of coral had been identified during the two weeks of research in that area. A team of experts from Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Institute of Oceanography (LON) Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) have done a quick assessment in 2001 and 2002. As a result, they are noted in these waters there are more than 540 types of hard coral (75% of the total species in the world), more than 1,000 species of reef fish, 700 species of mollusks, and the highest record for gonodactyloid stomatopod crustaceans. It makes 75% of the world's coral species in Raja Ampat is located. None of the places with the same area has a number of coral species as much as this. There are several areas of coral reefs are still very good condition with the percentage of live coral cover by 90%, namely in the Dampier Strait (the strait between the island and the island Waigeo Batanta), Kofiau islands, archipelagic Southeast Misool and Wayag Islands. Types of coral reefs in Raja Ampat is generally fringing reef with gentle slope to steep contour. But it was also found atoll type and type of scorched or taka. In some places, such as village Saondarek, when the lowest tides, coral reefs can be seen without a dive and with his own adaptation, corals can still be alive despite being in the open air and direct sunlight. Unique species that can be encountered when diving is some kind of dwarf seahorses, wobbegong, and Manta rays. There are also endemic fish Raja Ampat, namely Eviota king, which is a kind of fish gobbie. At Manta Point which is located in the Dampier Strait Arborek, you can dive in the company of some tail Manta Ray is benign like when you dive in Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan. If diving in Cape Kri or Chicken Reef, you could be surrounded by thousands of fish. Sometimes a collection of tuna, giant trevallies and snappers. But stressful if we are surrounded by a collection of barracuda fish, even though it is relatively harmless (which is dangerous if we see barracudas solitary or alone). Reef sharks are also frequently seen, and if you are lucky you can also see turtles were quietly eating sponge or swim around you. In some places, such as Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo also seen Dugong or sea cow. Because the area is many islands and narrow straits, then most of the dive at any given time has a strong current. It is also possible to do a drift dive, dive while following the strong currents with very clear water while breaking through schools of fish.

Remains of prehistoric and historical

In the area of ​​cluster Misool found prehistoric remains a hand stamp that is attached to the rock wall. Interestingly, labeling these hands are very close to the sea surface and not inside the cave. According to estimates, the age of this hand labeling approximately 50,000 years and became part of the route of transmission for the human user of the western region of the archipelago towards Papua and Melanesia. The rest of the plane wreck from World War II can be found in some dive sites, such as on the island of Wai.

Access

Visiting these islands is not too difficult although it takes time and considerable cost. We can use the Airline flights from Jakarta to Sorong via Manado for 6 hour flight. From Sorong-town big enough and quite complete facilities for exploring the Raja Ampat-there are two choices, go on tour with a boat phinisi or stay in the resort of Papua Diving. Although most tourists who come to Raja Ampat right now is the diver, in fact this location also attracts many tourists due to non-divers also have white sandy beaches are very beautiful, a cluster of karst islands nan fascinating and unique endemic flora and fauna like paradise red, paradise Wilson, maleo Waigeo, various parrots and parrot, possum Waigeo, as well as various types of orchids.

The threat to these islands
The wealth of biodiversity in Raja Ampat has made itself has a high level of threat as well. It can be seen from damage to coral reefs and forests. Damage to coral reefs in general is due to fishing activities which are not environmentally friendly such as bombs, cyanide and roots bore (the liquid from the processed roots of a tree similar to poison fish).

Conservation efforts

To preserve the underwater Raja Ampat Islands, conservation efforts so needed in this area. There are two international organizations are concerned about the preservation of natural resources Raja Ampat, namely CI (Conservation International) and TNC (The Nature Conservancy). The government has set itself the sea around South Waigeo, which includes the small islands such as Gam, Mansuar, groups and group Yeben Trunk Pele, has been approved as a Marine Wildlife Reserve. According to the Ministry of Forestry decree No.. 81/KptsII/1993, this area of ​​60,000 hectares. In addition, several other marine areas has been proposed to be a conservation area. Each one is a Marine Sanctuary South Misool Island, sea Kofiau Island, Sea Island Asian, Honey and Sea Island Sea Island Ayau.