Tambrauw Regency, West Papua, is beautified within mountains, green valleys, meandering rivers, and conservation areas that occupy approximately 80% of the regency, a fairly long coastline as well as numerous hills and two islands. The islands are Large Mios Island and Small Mios Island, the birthplaces of Christian civilization. In Tambrauw, there are two coastal conservation areas, including the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary of Jamursba Medi and Warmon and the coastal conservation of Tambrauw in Abun. These two have amazing, high biodiversity in marine and coastal life.
Here are some details for you to dig.
Place of Leatherback Turtles
The Marine Wildlife Sanctuary of Jamursba Medi and Warmon has beaches where leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) with the largest female egg-laying population in the world nest. These areas are administratively included in Abun District, Tambrauw Regency. Meanwhile, there are some bioecological conservation target resources in the coastal conservation of Tambrauw, especially in Abun. They include coral reefs, mangroves, leatherback turtles, other types of turtles, lobster, sea cucumber, and bia.
In general, Tambrauw Regency is originally from the partial separation Sorong Regency as its parent regency. Along the coast of Sorong Regency is a type of coastal forest vegetation, but there is no mangrove forest. The vegetation is dominated by the types of pandanus, ketapang, batatas, sea lilies, sea hibiscus, and sea stilts. This vegetation is very good for shading the turtle nesting beach area, especially for green turtles and hawksbill turtles.
The types of turtles commonly found in the Abun district are leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coreacea), green turtles (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricate), and olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). The condition of coral reefs in the regency is still quite good, with a cover percentage of 60%, with an estimated coral expanse of 484,985 ha.
Heaven of Coral Reefs and Sea Beauties
Coral reefs are only found in the area around the edge of the coastal conservation area, and plank coral dominates the reef flat. In some areas, live coral reefs were found at a depth of 15 meters. In this area, you can find eight species of seagrass belonging to 2 families, namely Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceae.
Total fishery production in 2013 was approximately 19,000 tons, which was dominated by laying fish, mackerel, and tuna/skipper (pelagic). Meanwhile, demersal fish are dominated by red fish, bobara, grouper, and chair. The number of boats in 2013 was 749 units with details of 582 units of boats without motors and 167 units of temple motorboats.
People with Local Wisdom
The Abun tribe has local wisdom in the use of marine resources, especially for biotas such as lobster, sea cucumbers, and bia. The traditional fishing grounds for people in the villages of Werur, Werbes, and Hopmare are on Dua Island, which borders Amsterdam Island to the west and Midleberg Island to the east. Due to the intensive collection of aquatic biota individuals in this area, customary parties or village heads often limit the collection of marine products around this island, especially bia and sea cucumbers, by applying sasi system.
Another local wisdom is the prohibition of killing certain animals, such as the ‘Amdur’ bird, which is a bird that lives in mountainous areas that are difficult to reach. Other birds that are traditionally protected and cannot be killed are the Cenderawasih, Amdaru, Cockatoo, King Cockatoo, Nuri, and Mambruk. The community in the area is directly involved in the community empowerment process, such as monitoring the nests of leatherback turtles and other turtles along the nesting coast of the Jamursba Medi area.
Tambrauw Regency, West Papua, also has a potential tourism sector. It has not only the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary in Jamursba Medi and Warmon and the coastal conservation in Abun, but also many other beautiful beaches to visit. Abun can be reached by speed boat for approximately 8 hours from Sorong Regency, and you can enjoy the fascination of exploring nature.
