Papuan Bird's Head Seascape: emerging threats and challenges in the global center of marine biodiversity

The Bird's Head Seascape located in eastern Indonesia is the global epicenter of tropical shallow water marine biodiversity with over 600 species of corals and 1,638 species of coral reef fishes. The Seascape also includes critical habitats for globally threatened marine species, including sea turtles and cetaceans. Since 2001, the region has undergone rapid development in fisheries, oil and gas extraction, mining and logging. The expansion of these sectors, combined with illegal activities and poorly planned coastal development, is accelerating deterioration of coastal and marine environments. At the same time, regency governments have expanded their marine protected area networks to cover 3,594,702 ha of islands and coastal waters. Low population numbers, relatively healthy natural resources and a strong tenure system in eastern Indonesia provide an opportunity for government and local communities to collaboratively manage their resources sustainably to ensure long-term food security, while meeting their development aspirations.

Pisces, Teleostei, Gobiidae, illustrated list of additions to the fauna of the Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia

Previous surveys of the reef-associated ichthyofauna of the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua, Indonesia recorded a total of 1,320 species of reef fishes, including 271 species of Gobiidae. A recent survey focused on the cryptic gobies of Raja Ampat resulted in 36 new records (including nine species of both Trimma and Eviota). Sixteen of the new records are currently undescribed species, with seven of these identified as Raja Ampat endemics, while the remaining nine species are also known from localities outside Raja Ampat in the western Pacific. Five species previously recorded from the area have been re-identified, two of them representing undescribed species, and a new record from the literature has been added. This brings the total number of reef fishes known from Raja Ampat waters to 1,357, of which 308 belong to the Gobiidae. The number of species (including the undescribed taxa) apparently endemic to the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua now totals 33.