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By APD writer Maverick
JAKARTA, March 19 (APD) - Greenpeace’s vessel legend, the Rainbow Warrior, arrived in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua recently to commence its 2-month voyage across Indonesian waters.
In its first stop in Indonesia’s territory, Rainbow Warrior explored the biodiversity-rich province, including in the prominent Raja Ampat coral reef area which was popular among divers around the world for its diverse and very beautiful coral reefs under its surface.
In Raja Ampat, the Rainbow
Warrior held a campaign to save Indonesian coral reef ecosystem, which was identified as one of the world’s richest undersea ecosystem.
Raja Ampat saw a regretful mishap that affected its coral reef system when a British cruise ship, Caledonian Sky, stranded in its waters in March last year, caused serious damages in the destination’s coral reef canopy.
Greenpeace learned that Indonesia has 569 different types of reefs that spans 2.5 million hectares below its waters. However 35.15 percent of those reefs were in damaged condition at present, Greenpeace said.
“Greenpeace pushes forward the central government to provide supports for regional governments and people in the region to ensure effectiveness of sea ecosystem management and the network in doing so,” Greenpeace Indonesia Sea Campaigner Arifsyah Nasution said in the statement issued on Monday.
The central government was expected to provide guidelines, regulations, intensive monitoring system and embrace regional governments in applying the sustainable sea ecosystem management system to save the coral reefs.
People were also expected to use sustainable ways in conducting their fishing activities and taking natural resources from the sea.
“Greenpeace supports application of sea ecosystem management that addressing local wisdom, which actually practicing universal preservation methods,” Arifsyah added.
The Rainbow Warrior’s upcoming voyage in Indonesia, entitled Nusantara Harmoni Expedition, would become its longest tour program held in a single country in its history.
After its first stop in Papua, the Greenpeace’s legendary vessel would continue its voyage to Bali and Jakarta.
The one to sail across Indonesian waters until May was the third generation.
The first generation of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior vessel was sunken by French agents in Auckland, New Zealand in July 1985 following Greenpeace’s diehard protests against France’s nuclear testing. The second generation served until 2011.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
