It’s hard to know where to start when describing the natural splendors of the Raja Ampat region. Maybe the spectacular coral: It’s home to 75% of the world’s known hard coral species. Or the fish? There are more than 1,700 species. Birds? More than 350 species. Marine mammals? From dolphins and dugongs to whales. Endangered sea turtles? Yep: leatherback, olive ridley, hawksbill. The region also has a long cultural history, evidenced by rock paintings thought to be more than 3,000 years old.

Arborek Village controls the coastal and marine areas around one of Raja Ampat’s stunning islands, Gam. There are mangrove forests, reefs, and dramatic limestone formations (karst) that rise above the water. A unique feature of the island is Hidden Bay (Hol Gam), where coral reefs grow next to mangrove roots in clear, shallow water. There are manta rays, sea turtles, reef sharks, dugongs, Napoleon wrasse, and many more kinds of marine life.

But illegal fishing by fishers from outside the area, including the use of explosives and cyanide, is a serious concern. Tourism is unregulated; boats often anchor on reefs, and visitors disturb sensitive habitat and hunt wildlife, including the famed red bird of paradise.

Arborek Village will create a no-take zone at the bay, to protect critical habitats such as manta ray aggregation sites and coral reefs. In other areas, they will implement sasi, the traditional resource management system based on local knowledge. They will patrol the bay using their boats, canoes, and kayaks, supplemented by drone flyovers.

To monitor the uncontrolled flow of boats into and out of Hidden Bay, they will build a monitoring post at the mouth of the bay. All boats will be required to report before entering. The post will be part of larger conservation center, used for meetings, environmental learning, and small-scale economic activities such as fish processing.