Raja Ampat through the lens

The Raja ampaT through the lens of: Burt jones Claudia pellarini-joubert David Doubilet Denise Nielsen Tackett Dos Winkel Gerry allen jennifer hayes Larry Tackett Leon joubert mark Strickland maurine Shimlock paul munzinger Roger Steene Stephen Wong Takako Uno Tim Laman Thomas haider With contributions by alex Tait, jรถrg adam, mark erdmann, max ammer and Sterling Zumbrunn

Gof island (Max Ammer)

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Photographers

Burt Jones

Claudia PellariniJoubert

David Doubilet

Dos Winkel

Denise Nielsen Tackett

Gerry Allen

reveal the magic rainbow colors of the

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Jennifer Hayes

Larry Tackett

Leon Joubert

Mark Strickland

Maurine Shimlock

Paul Munzinger

Roger Steene

Stephen Wong

Takako Uno

Thomas Haider

Tim Laman

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Contents Colophon

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Contents

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Maps

Alex Tait, International Mapping

Introduction

Mark Erdmann, Conservation International

10-15

The Raja Ampat

Max Ammer, Papua Diving, Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC)

16-23

Ichthyology

Dr. Gerry Allen

24-39

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Underwater photography

Maurine Shimlock and Burt Jones Takako Uno and Stephen Wong Paul Munzinger Mark Strickland Denise Nielsen Tackett and Larry Tackett Jennifer Hayes and David Doubilet Roger Steene Dos Winkel Claudia Pellarini-Joubert and Leon Joubert Thomas Haider Tim Laman

40-59 60-79 80-99 100-119 120-139 140-159 160-179 180-199 200-219 220-231 232-245

Topside photography

Selection of images by participating photographers

246-267

Selection of images by participating photographers

268-288

Aerial photography

Acknowledgements

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Maps

Wayag 6

(Tim Laman)

Map: Š Alex Tait, www.internationalmapping.com

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Introduction away beneath the karst cliffs of Wayag and Uranie to the deep, nutrient-rich bays of Mayalibit, Kabui and Aljui to the “blue water mangrove” channels of Kofiau and Gam to the plankton-rich upwelling areas of Misool and the Dampier Strait – is home to unique assemblages of species that, when taken together, add to produce the most impressive species lists ever compiled for a coral reef system of this size. To date, some 1,320 species of coral reef fish have been recorded in Raja Ampat by renowned ichthyologist Gerald Allen, with new species being uncovered on every trip he makes to the region.

Over 540 species of hard coral have been confirmed from Raja Ampat, with coral scientists estimating there are likely over 550 species existing here (which equates to a mind-blowing 70% of all known coral species on

Karst islands in the Wayag Archipelago, one of the Raja Ampat’s 7 marine protected areas

Exploring an underwater cave on Uranie island, one of many in the Raja Ampat

Photos: © CI/Sterling Zumbrunn

“Reefs on Steroids.” “The Kingdom of Coral.” “Heart of the Coral Triangle.” “The World’s Richest Reefs.” The magazine cover articles written on Raja Ampat (which literally translates as “the Four Kings”) in the past 5 years are never short on superlatives. Even David Doubilet, the normally understated legend of underwater photography who has most certainly “seen it all” in over forty years of traveling the globe to document the marine realm, effusively named his recent National Geographic story on Raja Ampat “Ultramarine”. It seems Raja Ampat casts a spell on all who visit – scientists, photographers, novice divers and crusty sea-salts alike. As stunningly beautiful above water as it is below, the “King of Kings” has a startling diversity of habitats to explore. Each of these – from the stark wave-pounded slopes that drop

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Mark V. Erdmann, Ph.D. Senior Advisor, Conservation International Indonesia Marine Program

the planet!). In my own work, I’ve recorded some fortytwo species of reef-associated stomatopod (mantis shrimp) – easily the highest diversity ever recorded for an area this size. Perhaps just as important as the recordbreaking species tallies, many of these fish, corals and crustaceans appear to be endemic to the region, found nowhere else on earth. Indeed, Raja Ampat and the surrounding Bird’s Head Seascape in northwest Papua have been deemed a “species factory” for marine life. As deep technical diving makes a debut in the area, even more new species records are sure to follow as divers plunge into Raja Ampat’s unexplored twilight zone.

Though Raja Ampat has only recently captured headlines as the global epicenter of marine biodiversity and as

a “must-dive” destination for divers, the first time that I personally heard of Raja Ampat was in 1992 as a Ph.D. student, under very different circumstances. In those days, I was based in a small Makassarese fishing community on the island of Barang Lompo off South Sulawesi. Rather than reading about Raja Ampat in a dive magazine, I was mesmerized by the stories of my shark-finning neighbors – who described a mysterious faraway land of strange karst islands and reefs teeming with sharks, a veritable gold mine for their baneful activities. A small armada of long-lining boats would regularly sail from our island home, returning 6-8 weeks later with stacks of dried fins that bespoke the undersea bounty of Raja Ampat. Sadly, nearly two decades of intensive shark-finning in the Bird’s Head has

Dr. Gerald Allen searches for the 1,321st fish species from the Raja Ampat

Effective marine reserves are the best tool to manage reef fish stocks 11

The Raja Ampat ARCHIPELAGO Geography

who ruled the Raja Ampat by means of Rajas (regents) for a period of at least 400 years.

The Raja Ampat islands encompass over 4 million hectares (roughly 350 x 250 kilometers) of land and sea area off the far north-western tip of the Papua Province of Indonesia. They consist of approximately 600+ islands, including the four largest: Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool (also known as Batanme).

The Raja Ampat area boundaries are between latitude 3° 00’ N and 2° 15’ S and longitude 129° 17’ E and 131’ 50’ E.

With the exception of some low coral islets, the majority of the islands have rugged and steep coastlines, covered mostly with virgin forest. The shorelines are deeply indented with bays and inlets, the beaches backed by dense forest without any track communications.

Limestone mountains form the interior of the three largest islands, Misool, Batanta and Waigeo. The waters immediately surrounding these three islands are greatly encumbered with small islets, rocks, shoals, and detached reefs, and are fairly well charted.

Beehive islands South of Tamoelol Bay

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There are no navigable rivers of importance. The few

Photo: © Max Ammer

Photo: © Max Ammer

The name ‘Raja Ampat’ (meaning Four Kings) comes from the period when the region was under influence of the North-Moluccan sultanates of Ternate and Tidore,

Rock islands in the Mesemta island area

Max Ammer Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre / Papua Diving

inhabited islands are but sparsely populated. The native people had little contact with the outside world until the 1950s, and still travel primarily by canoe / prahoe (most are not motorized!). As a result, even today roads and graded tracks are very few and there are no cars, except at the new government centre of Waisai (South Waigeo).

East Misool . The leading clans in the Maya villages were vassals of the sultan, and each paid him a yearly tribute.

They also contributed vessels and men to the Hongi, a fleet that raided Western New Guinea for slaves. An important consequence of the Moluccan contacts of the Maya was the introduction of Islam: in the Raja Ampat archipelago, only the Maya villages are Muslim.

Nowadays the Maya number between 4,000 and 5,000 people, of which about half live on Misool; the other half are evenly divided over the other 3 main islands.

The people Due to the absence of a written history it is not clear who the earliest people in the Raja Ampat were, however it is commonly believed that the Maya clan hold that right. During the North-Moluccan sultanates of Ternate and Tidore period, the area was ruled by four Rajas, residing at Waigeo, Salawati, West Misool and

Photo: © Jörg Adam

Photo: © Michael Westcott

Traditionally, all original Raja Ampat groups built their houses on poles. When the villages were constructed on the coast or near a river, they were built on the water; otherwise they were built on poles above the ground.

House Boat with Papuan family and Sulfur Crested Cockatoo at the Kaboei Bay

Traditionally built Papua houses at Kri Eco Resort by night 17

Coral reef scene at Mike’s Point

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Spinecheek anemonefish Premnas biaculeatus

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Picture dragonet Synchiropus picturatus

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Three different sweetlips between soft corals From top to bottom: Diagonal-banded sweetlips Ribbon sweetlips Goldstriped sweetlips Plectorhinchus lineatus Plectorhinchus polytaenia Plectorhinchus chrysotaenia

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Kri and Mansoear islands 288

(bittenbysharks.com / stichting-rarcc.org)

“The magazine cover articles written on the Raja ampat in the past five years are never short on superlatives....”

“Reefs on Steroids” “The Kingdom of Coral” “The World’s Richest Reefs” “Heart of the Coral Triangle” “Ultramarine” mark V. erdmann Conservation International Indonesia

I S B N 978-90-814853-1-9

Aerial cover photo: © David Doubilet