Raja Ampat is rapidly on its way towards becoming the most popular dive destination in Indonesia. This is why we at Arenui think that a true eco-tourism approach needs to be applied to this area. Our conservation program is an ideal way to do something really worthwhile, see a different side of Raja Ampat and, at the same time, take part in helping the local community by donating to a selection of conservation projects that offer opportunities to provide the local communities with the resources they require in order to better their own standards of living and their own livelihoods.

There are a number of Liveaboard boats active in Raja Ampat and anchor damage is inevitable when large boats anchor in the vicinity of coral reefs. Anchoring generally in Raja Ampat is not easy as reefs often drop off very steeply to depths of 80m. String currents and storms means boats have to put out several hundred meters of chain to maintain their position. This drags over delicate deep water communities or worse ships anchor on patch reefs in 40m or less.
Conservation International has a program to install moorings around Raja Ampat to limit anchor damage and provide safe locations for liveaboards to overnight or moor up near diving areas.
The moorings have to be strong enough to support large vessels in storm conditions. CI utlilizes local resources and systems with the assistance of Atlas South Sea Pearl, to install 7000kg cement bag anchors attached to a large drum buoy. This is the most cost effective system for such a remote area and would not be possible without the local company support.
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Health care in Raja Ampat is very limited. Many villages only have a midwife and have to travel to another village to see a paramedic or doctor. A hospital is currently under construction in Waisai, but otherwise patients must travel to Sorong.
Health education is also very limited and even simple problems can become much worse due to poor hygiene and misdiagnoses.
A series of 15 illustrated booklets each dealing with a different health matters have been produced by Australian nurses Jim and Robyn Nottingham, in Indonesian language. They have given full permission for these booklets to be printed and used in Papua.
We would like to print 2 sets of these bookets, one in Indonesian and also in the 3 main local languages found in Raja Ampat. Many people especially mothers, do not speak indonesian very well and are the ones most in need of basic health education.

The remote Raja Ampat Archipelago in Papua is an important breeding area for green turtles(Chelonia mydas) as well as for garoupa and coral trout. The people in the five villages (~2000 pax.) of Ayau, traditionally hunted turtles taking between 3000-5000 of all species of turtles per year for consumption particularly during festivals. This represents a significant number of these endangered species. Following an extensive socialization and education program in 2007 the communities were persuaded to completely give up hunting turtles and to set aside areas of reefs as no take zones.
Part of that program to convince them to do so, involved providing an alternative source of meat particularly for celebrations. As a Christian community, their preference was for pigs. As the environment is particularly sensitive (coral atolls), an Indonesian designed and built alternative technology closed system piggery has been sourced and a pilot project to install and operate the system commenced in Dec 2007......This pilot project has proved successful and we would like to expand the project to the other villages. We anticipate having 3 or 4 communal piggeries in each village run by co-operating Margas (extended family groups).
The pilot project was built on the basis that we provide all the imported materials and technical expertise and the village provides the labor and locally sourced materials (wood and thatch roof). Additional piggeries will be built on the same basis keeping costs to a minimum
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PROJECT
TARGET TO REACH
ALREADY DONATED
STILL TO DONATE
YOUR CONTRIBUTE
Permanent Mooring for Raja Amp
USD 3400
USD 0
List of Donors
USD 3400
Health Booklets
USD 1420
USD 0
List of Donors
USD 1420
Biogas Piggery – Ayau
USD 3440
USD 0
List of Donors
USD 3440