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Coastal and Marine, P a p u a
Biodiversity and Tropical Forests in Indonesia.

The marine biodiversity of Papua is extremely diverse, associated as it is with the Eastern Indonesian center of global marine biodiversity. This diversity is due it part both to the location of Papua on the border between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and to the variety of landscapes found on the coasts and offshore (caves, cliffs, mangrove lowlands, steep drop offs, sandy and rocky beaches, reefs and sea grass, etc.). Oceanographically and biogeographically, the northern coast of Papua lies in a region that is on the western border of the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the northeastern entrance of the Indonesian flow of currents from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. Raja Ampat, the group of islands in northern Papua, are part of the same geological ridge that forms the Palauan islands in the western Micronesia part of the Pacific Oceania; it is for this reason that many of the same dramatic and biogeographically diverse tropical habitats, flora and fauna are present in both areas.

Papua (combined with Maluku in this reference) was and still is host to the greatest area of mangroves of any island in Indonesia. In the 1980s there were more than 4 million ha of mangroves, which by 1998 had been diminished to less than 2.5 million ha (59%). The southern coast of Papua is continuously covered by mangrove. These rivers cause high sedimentation and salinity fluctuations. The extensive mangrove stands in Bintuni Bay and other regions are extremely wide with distance from shore to open water of more than 10 km, and dense, such that one can get lost for days in them trying to find the correct passages into the villages and landing sites.

Reefs along the southern coast are poorly developed. Papuan reefs are most developed in Cendrawasih Bay, Padaido Island, Auri Island, Mapia Island and Raja Ampat islands. Coral reefs in Cendrawasih are in good condition and are both diverse and well developed. Generally the offshore islands have narrow fringing reefs with a steep slope down to 20 m. (Suharsono 1998).

The Raja Ampat Islands, situated along the northwest coast of Papua, is an area of outstanding marine biodiversity and stunning marine and terrestrial habitats. It is considered to be the single most biodiverse marine site in the world at this time (BAPPENAS 2003, UNESCO 2002, Turek pers. comm. 2003). The Raja Ampat area has been given the highest recommendation for any marine site to have been nominated to become a Natural World Heritage Marine Site (UNESCO 2002). It is being proposed as part of the Indonesian Marine Cluster Site nomination. The island group encompasses more than four million ha of land and sea. The vast majority of the island group rests on the continental shelf edge that creates a strong gradient from clear water to wave-washed open oceanic conditions, to sheltered and turbid bays (Erdmann and Pet 2002). The archipelago is expected to harbor more than 70% of the world’s known coral species. A total of 537 hard corals were identified, more than 10 of which are thought to be undescribed species. Overall reefs and coral communities in the Raja Ampat area are in good health. Coral cover is moderate (33%) but reefs did not seem to be suffering from any recent serious detrimental effects. There is little evidence of pollution, coral bleaching, despite the 1998 regional bleaching events, Crown of Thorns outbreaks or sediment pollution (The Nature Conservancy 2003).

At least two major marine turtle rookeries are found in the Raja Ampat area. The small beaches and coves of the Misool island chain have nesting sites for Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). The Islands of Sayan and Piai support large rookeries of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas).