The Halmahera Sea is nestled between the islands of Papua and Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is one of the world’s most pristine and unadulterated tropical paradises located in the coral triangle – the area with the richest marine life on the planet, especially in terms of coral and fish species. In April 2008, Conservation International sent a team of researchers, which consisted largely of research scientists, to Halmahera Sea and its surrounding islands. The aim of their trip was to:
• Assess the current biodiversity status in the area, including coral reef condition.
• Assess the potential development of marine protected areas (MPAs)
• Assess the socio-economic conditions of coastal village located near potential MPAs.
• Estimate levels of ecological connectivity between reefs in the Halmahera area and across the Bird’s Head Seascape
• Assess the potential for marine tourism development in the area.
The area’s amazing marine biodiversity and rich resources make it both a marine conservation priority and target for development of economic sectors ranging from fisheries to marine tourism to oil and gas. One of these is an agreement between the Indonesian government and Australian mining giant BHP to mine nickel on Gag Island, West Papua, in the Halmahera Sea. If this project is approved, there is consequently huge potential for environmental destruction to Gag Island and its surrounding coral reefs and the inevitable destruction of the world’s richest marine park. This project was initially proposed in 1999 and later suspended following an environmental campaign to protect forests and coral reef in Indonesia. The Indonesian government then classified the area as ‘protected forest’. But, in 2004, government legislation reinstated the rights of BHP and state-owned Indonesian mining company Antam, to mine on Gag Island. The deal between the two companies is conditional on final approval, but a mining venture would be devastating to the area’s entire ecosystem. Conservation International gives you the opportunity to donate toward further research in this high-biodiversity area. It doesn’t stop BHP and Antam trying to strip Gag Island of its natural resources. But, if and when these two mining giants take hold of a precious natural resource, Conservation International might be able to help the ecosystem that will suffer. Let’s hope BHP and Antam don’t get the go-ahead on this proposal!
