Timer Manurung has seen the bulldozers and excavators arrive on the shores of Gag Island in Raja Ampat, and he knows what they could mean for the waters surrounding this remote archipelago. But he's also seen what happens when a community commits to protecting the ocean. He's watched fish populations double, mantas return to cleaning stations, and local fishermen become guardians of one of Earth's most biodiverse marine ecosystems.
"There's nowhere on Earth that has as many fish, corals and everything else packed into one small place," said Mark Erdmann, an American coral reef biologist who has spent more than two decades studying the region.
Raja Ampat sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle in eastern Indonesia, where powerful ocean currents carry nutrients that sustain what scientists describe as the most biodiverse marine ecosystem on the planet. Here, sharks, mantas and sea turtles glide through sea fan coral formations found nowhere else on Earth.
Two decades ago, the story was far grimmer. Fishermen from across Indonesia used explosives and large nets, damaging corals and decimating shark populations. Local residents who depended on fishing had to travel as far as 10 kilometers offshore just to catch something.
That trajectory shifted in 2003 when Conservation International conducted a marine assessment that sparked conversations between local leaders and environmental groups. Syafri Tuharea, a conservation expert who heads the Raja Ampat Marine Conservation Area, helped organize visits to more developed areas like Bunaken and Bali so community leaders could see the benefits of natural resource management firsthand.
Those exchanges laid the groundwork for 10 marine protected areas established from 2007, covering 2 million hectares—including 45 percent of Raja Ampat's reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. Today, local communities patrol the waters, enforce fishing rules and monitor tourism activity, largely financed by a 700,000 Indonesian rupiah ($40) marine park entry fee.
The results have been striking. A 2024 report from the Misool Foundation found that fish biomass has risen by 109 percent across the protected waters—a key indicator of ecosystem health. The same areas now host 2,007 documented reef mantas, a remarkable number for a species vulnerable to extinction across much of the Indo-Pacific.
Now, the conservation model faces a new test. Indonesia holds roughly 43 percent of the world's nickel reserves, and demand for the metal—which is essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy infrastructure—has prompted new mining concessions on three northern Raja Ampat islands, some near declared UNESCO sites and popular dive destinations. After public outcry last summer, four concessions were revoked, though mining continues on Gag Island where operations began in 2017.
"The heavy machinery, excavators, bulldozers—they're still there," said Manurung, director of Indonesian environmental group Auriga Nusantara.
But the story of Raja Ampat is ultimately one of communities choosing to protect their waters—and proving it can be done. The question now is whether that legacy can endure as the world demands more of the minerals beneath its feet.