West Papua is a place where rainforest still blankets mountains, rivers are moving through deep valleys, and offshore reefs remain largely untouched. Its coasts are alive with turtles, reef sharks, and manta rays, while the interior harbors wildlife found nowhere else, alongside the spectacular birds of paradise whose courtship dances light up the canopy. Indigenous Papuan cultures with traditions stretching back tens of thousands of years, still interwoven with the forest and sea.
A conservation non-profit based in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, dedicated to protecting marine biodiversity through the establishment of no-take zones, community education, and sustainable livelihood programs. Their efforts have transformed over 300,000 acres of reef into one of the most successful marine protected areas in the world.
Raja Ampat, meaning “Four Kings,” sits at the very center of marine biodiversity on the planet. Its karst limestone islands rise from turquoise seas, where currents feed coral reefs supporting more than 1,500 fish species. Manta rays love the channels here, walking sharks hunt in shallows at night, and reef sharks patrol drop-offs that seem bottomless. Above the waterline, hornbills and parrots fly between jungle-fringed cliffs, and small villages live in step with the ocean’s tides.
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