Raja Ampat Needs 107 Labuh Tambat For Karang Reef Sustainability

Raja Ampat/UNSPLASH/Dang Himawan

RAJA AMPAT - The Indonesian Conservation Foundation said that the Raja Ampat waters conservation area in Southwest Papua needs at least 107 moorings or moorings so that coral reef ecosystems are not damaged due to anchoring activities.

Director of the Papua Conservation Program for Indonesia, Robert Mandosir, said that Raja Ampat is the heart of the world's coral reefs, so it needs to be properly maintained and protected.

"The calculation of the number of mooring needs is based on access, distribution of diving locations, and shipping routes for tourism ships," said Roberth, quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, June 8.

Raja Ampat has a conservation area of 1.99 million hectares with a dive point of around 300 locations.

The Raja Ampat archipelago group, which is designated as a geopark dunia by UNESCO, has 553 coral species, 1,661 fish species, 4 turtle species, 14 marine mammal species, 7 dolphin species, 6 whale species, one dugong species, and 25 mangrove species.

On June 7, 2024dua, the mooring of the anchor was installed in Raja Ampat, which is part of the Raja Ampat Mooring System (RAMS) program stage.

The installation of mooring anchorage is a strategy to maintain the diversity of coral reefs so that they remain stable and healthy in the Raja Ampat waters conservation area.

Acting (Pj) Governor of Southwest Papua Mohammad Musa'ad said the two moorings were installed in the conservation area III of the Dampier Strait as one of the seven conservation areas in the waters of the Raja Ampat archipelago.

RAMS is a mooring facility network that is intended for sea transportation modes, especially those used for tourism purposes.

"The purpose of mooring is so that tourist ships do not throw anchors and damage coral reefs as the main capital for tourism and fisheries, especially the 'piring food; the people of Raja Ampat," said Musa Ad.