Green Indonesia

Under threat from deforesters and bottom feeding fishing fleets from foreign countries, discoveries of hitherto unknown species continue to be made in Indonesia.

Not far from the Foja Mountains, where a Conservation International team recently discovered a “lost world” of rare plants and animals, another CI-led expedition has found a new trove of extraordinary marine biodiversity in a region known as the Bird’s Head Seascape.

This weekend Conservation International has announced the discovery off the Indonesian province of Papua of ‘epaulette’ sharks that ‘walk’ across the reefs at night on their pectoral fins and ‘flasher’ wrasse, which rise up and down in the water column changing colour into brilliant yellows and pinks as part of their mating display.

Of perhaps even greater importance is that six sites surveyed proved to have the highest diversity of hard corals ever recorded, each with more than 250 species within a single hectare.

Evidence was also found of bomb-fishing used to stun fish that are collected for food, or as bait for the lucrative shark fin industry and cyanide fishing (which) is used to catch live lobster, grouper, and Napoleon wrasse for export to Asian live seafood markets.

The Indonesian government is making appropriate noises.

“We are now closely examining the survey recommendations and may support the development of a network of fisheries reserves in the region to safeguard this priceless national heritage,” says Yaya Mulyana, head of the Indonesian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Affairs’ Marine Conservation Department.

Green Indonesia will be watching developments closely.

For more information of Indonesian bio-diversity hot spots click here for Sundaland and here for Wallacea.