By Aditya E.S. Wicaksono Jakarta (Antara) - Rens Lewerissa relentlessly hunted sharks, the top marine predators, using different baits in the Raja Ampat waters, oblivious to the fact that his actions have an impact on the marine ecosystem and other fishermen. "Sometimes, I used dolphins as baits. We only take its (shark) fins and then throw them back into the water. Sometimes, they were still alive," Lewerissa stated. Lewerissa's account coupled with footages of shark-hunting activities and a close-up shot of a shark, whose fins had been ripped off by fishermen, breathing atop a coral reef, became one of the most startling revelations in a documentary movie highlighting the conservation efforts at a paradise in Papua titled, "The Guardians of Raja Ampat." Filmmaker Shawn Heinrichs first visited Raja Ampat in 2006 and was mesmerized by the beauty of the nature and biodiversity of the marine conservation area located at the northwest tip of the Bird's Head Peninsula of Papua or New Guinea Island, West Papua Province, Indonesia. "When I came there, it was more amazing than I had ever imagined," Heinrichs told Antara after the movie screening at the US Embassy's cultural center Atamerica located in Jakarta, on Tuesday evening, (Dec. 9). However, the beauty of "a piece of heaven, which has fallen on Papuan land" was also under huge threat due to overfishing and destructive fish bombings. Shark hunting was one of the most disturbing things he noticed during his expedition and film-making with John Weller in Raja Ampat. "When I watched the fishermen ripping off the fins of live sharks and throwing their bodies into the water to die, it was such an insult to this special place," he pointed out. "How could someone take something so perfect and beautiful and do something so wasteful and cruel? And that for me was a wake-up call that even the most special of places are under great threat, and we have to protect them," Heinrichs emphasized. As a photographer and filmmaker, Shawn Heinrichs has extensively traveled around the globe. The cinematographer, who won an Emmy Award for a documentary named "Untamed Americas," was also the founder of Blue Sphere Media, a production company specializing in underwater, adventure, and conservation films. Deeply moved by the persistent destruction and over-exploitation of the marine ecosystem, Heinrichs went on to create documentary films about marine life. "And it was then that I realized that if we can save the last great place on this planet, we can save anything," he remarked. Last place on earth Heinrichs was on the lookout for the one last place on the planet that was still beautiful and intact, until he arrived in Raja Ampat in 2006. According to him, Raja Ampat was an ocean before being exploited by the people. "When you put your head under the water and swim, the fish population is so dense that you have to push them out of your way," he noted. Heinrichs, who also worked on the "Mission Blue" documentary along with James Cameron, was overwhelmed by the natural beauty of Raja Ampat. "Not only its sea but the color of the river is also so vibrant. It is like a psychedelic maze of light and color and texture," he revealed. "The diversity of species, from the small tiny pygmy seahorse to the mantas and the sharks, is huge. It is more than the eyes can comprehend. Its beauty is beyond words," he stated. The movie screening was packed with students from several universities in Indonesia and other invitees. Sounds of "whoa" echoed during the movie screening as the spectators watched the footage of a manta ray dancing in the sapphire blue waters of Raja Ampat. The audience was enthralled by Heinrichs' personal interpretation of the untamed beauty of the underwater life and the panorama of the uplifted limestone (karst) islands of Wayag Islands, with several time-lapse videos to bridge the story. The viewers will be captivated by the story after watching the testimonies of the local people involved in the conservation efforts in Raja Ampat Islands. Nomensen Mambraku, a local fisherman, said he had altered his method of fishing after the government implemented the zoning plan to protect the marine ecosystem. Mambraku now understands that he cannot fish at any location he wants. "We are now not fishing in Lalosi. It serves as a fish bank, which contains all varieties of fish, so that there will be more fish (to catch) as it supplies big and smaller fish. They are all coming out from that place," he remarked. The significance of conservation Documenting the conservation efforts in Raja Ampat, Heinrichs teamed up with the Conservation International (CI), supported by the USAID and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. CI has been working on a conservation and development program in Raja Ampat since October 2004. In the initial 2.5 years, CI found that 75 percent of the world's coral species and some endemic species, such as the walking sharks, inhabited the Raja Ampat waters. "The first question that emerged at that time was that this is a great resource, but how long will it survive? How can it support the livelihood of the local people and the government?" stated Country Director of Conservation International Indonesia Ketut Putra. The rich waters of Raja Ampat provide food, livelihood, and shelter and help to buffer communities from tropical storms for the 40 thousand people living in 135 villages. In 2006, the Government of Raja Ampat in collaboration with the local communities, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International, became the first district in Indonesia to declare a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network, which is currently spread over an area of around 3.6 million hectares. "We always tell the community that we eat and live from the sea," District Head of Raja Ampat Marcus Wenma said at the movie screening. And it is mandatory for all community members to safeguard and preserve the ocean with all its potential for the survival and sustainability of the Raja Ampat region in the future. One of the success stories of the local administration was the establishment of the shark and manta sanctuary in 2010, which banned the harvesting of sharks, rays, dugong, and turtles within the region, which has become a pilot model and has been highlighted across the world. Community and Government capacity building have been the main focus of the conservation program to help in harnessing and developing the sensitive marine resources in Raja Ampat into "gold", capital assets that will bring benefits to Raja Ampat, noted Ketut Putra. Moreover, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has established Raja Ampat as one of the three conservation-based marine development priorities along with the Seribu and Anambas Islands. What have been done in Raja Ampat will be more comprehensive if it involves the environment, economic growth, and community interests, stated Directorate General of Marine, Coastal Region and Small Island of the Ministry Sudirman Saad. "I hope this movie reflects the three variables," he remarked. Therefore, conservation and tourism cannot be separated as they go hand-in-hand in Raja Ampat. If the community and government manage it properly, then it will go on forever. If tourism grows too much, the one last thing that attracts the tourists will be destroyed. "We have to value a place for a reason. It is not enough anymore just to say 'it is beautiful, leave it alone'. Hence, either you value it for fisheries, extraction mining, and logging, or you value it for sustainable use such as tourism. I think what is important for Raja Ampat is that we do not let tourism grow unabated," Heinrichs emphasized. In the meantime, "Guardians of Raja Ampat" is ready for distribution. Heinrichs and CI are working together to formulate a plan to make the film available to the international and domestic community. The movie, which runs around an hour and ten minutes, previously had been screened in the Raja Ampat region as a mark of respect for the Papuan community, who guard the existence of the paradise in the Eastern Indonesian Region. Almost 10 thousand people, more than 20 percent of Raja Ampat's community, attended the movie screening in several villages across Raja Ampat. "They came out every night with this outdoor cinema system, eight meters wide and six meters tall in these small villages, and the children gathered for hours before waiting for the movie to turn on. And Edo (Kondologit, a national singer from Papua) sang a song, and everybody danced. It was incredible," Heinrichs recalled. (*)


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