Raja Ampat, Raja Ampat book, Four Kings, Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, Misool, Kofiau, Wayag, Kawe, Quoy, Uranie, Mayalibit Bay, Sorong, Kri, Mansuar, Arborek, Fam, Gam, Red bird of paradise, Wilson’s bird of paradise, Waigeo Cuscus, Waigeo Brushturkey, Diphyllodes respublica, Paradisaea rubra
Raja Ampat, the last stronghold of healthy coral reefs:
In the video below, you can watch some of the efforts taking place in the Four Kings to maintain coral reefs healthy.
Coral reefs are often described as the rainforests of the seas, and for good reason. While they account for less than one percent of the world’s ocean surface, they support a whopping 25 percent of all marine species. However, rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification, exacerbated by other human-induced impacts like destructive fishing, resource extraction, and marine pollution could cause all UNESCO World Heritage coral reefs to become functionally extinct by 2100. Unless we rapidly embrace blue economies, change our behavior and relationship with the ocean and drastically reduce carbon emissions over the coming decades, these rainforests of the sea may soon disappear.
To learn more about the causes of coral reef degradation, check out my book “Biodiversity in Paradise. A Natural History of Raja Ampat“.