Archive for September 25th, 2006
The Raja Ampats lie in the heart of the “coral triangle”—an area encompassing reefs of northern Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
The Raja Ampat waters may be especially rich in species, the scientists said, because the islands lie at a point where sea currents from surrounding areas converge. That creates a conducive environment for fish, coral, and other organisms from various habitats.
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Relative to other reefs in the area, the marine biologists found the reefs of Raja Ampats to be in good condition. However, the scientists were particularly concerned by signs of damage from increased illegal fishing by local people and commercial fishing boats from Thailand and the Philippines.
A growing number of fishers use dynamite and cyanide blasts to stun the fish. The fish then float at the surface of the water, making them easy to catch and sell.
The dynamite and cyanide also kill the corals, which biologists liken to rain forests in the uniqueness and importance of their biodiversity.
In some regions of Indonesia, fishing with explosives has reduced coral cover by as much as 80 percent, according to the World Fish Center, based in Penang, Malaysia. In the Raja Ampats’ reefs, damage from dynamite and cyanide was seen at 15 percent of the sites the Conservation International team examined.
The researchers said they were also concerned about siltation of the reefs from illegal logging in adjacent areas. The sedimentation smothers and can eventually kill coral and fish. Waters around the Raja Ampat archipelago and other islands in the area were declared nature reserves in the early 1990s, but illegal logging has been a big problem throughout Indonesia, especially in the aftershocks of the Asian economic crisis.
“The results of our assessment point to the need to work closely with the local communities to better manage and protect this stunning and vital area,” said McKenna.
Conservation Crucial
The survey by the ten-member scientific team included a study of how people in the region use and depend on the region’s marine resources, which has important implications for managing and preserving the reefs. An estimated 7,700 people live in 22 communities scattered across the Raja Ampat cluster of both large and small islands.
The survey indicated that more than 90 percent of the adult population of the Raja Ampats is engaged in subsistence-level fishing.
Because of this dependency, the scientists said, local government officials and village leaders must be included in any national and international planning of how to ensure long-term survival of the region’s marine wealth.
One conservation strategy that could help, the scientific team suggested, is working to have the Raja Ampats designated a World Heritage Site. “The Raja Ampat Islands are certainly deserving of World Heritage status and every effort should be made to conserve them,” said Vernon (see sidebar).
Conservation International is preparing a final report on the results of its survey of the Raja Ampats. Officials of the group said the report will include guidelines on how to ensure community-based protection of the area’s reefs and other marine resources.
Some conservationists have suggested that Palau, an independent group of islands in the Philippine Sea, might provide a good model for strategies to conserve the Raja Ampat Islands. Eager to conserve its reefs and natural beauty to insure the area’s appeal as a tourist destination, the government of Palau protects much of its surrounding seas.
source : http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news
September 25th, 2006
Scuba divers, take note: The waters of the Raja Ampat Islands off Indonesia’s province of Irian Jaya may replace heralded Palau as the most species-rich sea in the world.
An international team of marine biologists who visited the Raja Ampats recently to examine the reefs said they found what may be an unparalleled array of species—corals, fishes, and mollusks—including some species never seen before.
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The reefs of the Raja Ampat Islands had not previously been explored in detail. The islands, which lie off Sorong on the northwest coast of sparsely populated and still largely undisturbed Irian Jaya, are extremely remote. Irian Jaya is the western half of the island of New Guinea.
Gerald Allen from the Western Australia Museum in Perth led the recent scientific expedition, which was organized by Conservation International. Allen, an expert on coral reef fishes, broke his own world record, twice, for the number of species he saw in a one-hour dive—281 on one dive and 283 on another.
During the entire three-week expedition in March and April, Allen recorded seeing 950 different species of fish.
The scientists surveyed an area of about 3,700 square miles (6,000 square kilometers). Their results revealed what they said was an extraordinary wealth of marine biodiversity: 450 species of hard coral, more than 600 mollusk species, and possibly as many as 1,100 fish species.
Damselfish, one of the most abundant inhabitants of coral reefs, totaled more than 108—nearly as many as those recorded for all of the reefs surrounding the entire continent of Australia, according to the team’s coral experts.
Besides conducting an initial inventory of the region’s marine life, the scientists had set out to assess the condition of the Raja Ampats’ reefs to determine what conservation measures might be needed. One significant finding was evidence of damage to the area’s corals from illegal “blast fishing.”
“The Raja Ampats are amazingly rich in marine biodiversity, but the reefs are threatened by illegal fishing and other human activities,” said Sheila McKenna, a marine biologist at Conservation International. She was a member of the expedition team, which also included researchers from the University of Cendrawasih in Irian Jaya’s capital, Jayapura.
Growing Threats
The Raja Ampats survey was preliminary, so whether the islands will surpass Palau as the place regarded as having the world’s richest biodiversity is not yet known. Experts estimate that the Palau archipelago, which lies 600 nautical miles east of the Philippines, has 700 species of coral and 1,400 fish species.
Team member John Vernon, a scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is an expert on corals around the world, told Indonesia’s Tempo magazine that the survey suggests Raja Ampats may have a higher density of species than the Palau region.
source :http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news
September 25th, 2006
Scientists said on Monday they found two types of shark, exotic “flasher” fish and corals among 52 new species in seas off Indonesia, confirming the western Pacific as the richest marine habitat on earth.
They urged more protection for seas around the Bird’s Head peninsula at the western end of New Guinea island from threats including mining and dynamite fishing that can smash coral reefs.
“We feel very confident that this is the epicenter of marine biodiversity” in the world, said Mark Erdmann, a U.S. scientist at Conservation International who led two surveys this year. (See the brilliant colors of the new fish)
Erdmann said the area surveyed was the center of a “Coral Triangle” — between Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Around the Bird’s Head peninsula there were 1,223 species of fish and 600 types of corals.
The Great Barrier Reef, covering an area 10 times bigger, has slightly more types of fish — 1,464 species — but just 405 species of coral. And the bigger Caribbean Sea has fewer than 1,000 species of fish and just 58 types of coral.
Source: CNN
September 25th, 2006
Every red blooded man who comes to Bali (plus a few Sheila’s), likes to get hold of a cold Bintang beer. Usually it happen about 5 minutes after checking into the hotel and 10 minutes before jumping into the pool. Bintang is a pilsner (clear, bottom fermented lager beer), which makes it ideal for those steamy Bali afternoons (some Seminyak expats like it on steamy Bali mornings, but that’s another matter).
Bintang means ’star’ in Indonesian, but the origins of Bier Bintang are in Holland. Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony, with the focus of attention being Java. Here’s what the official website says: “The history of PT Multi Bintang Indonesia Tbk. (MBI) dates back to 1929 when the company was founded under the name of NV Nederlandsch Indische Bierbrouwerijen. The first brand of the company was Java Bier.In 1936 Heineken became the major shareholder and the company name changed into Heineken Nederlandsch-Indische Brouwerij Maatschappij. In 1937 the company introduced Heineken beer for the first time on the Indonesian market.During the Second World-war the company ceased the production of Heineken beer. In 1947 Heineken was introduced on the Indonesian market for the 2nd time.
During the years of Indonesia’s Guided Democracy (1957-1965), Heineken stopped being technical advisor and prohibited the use of the Heineken brand-name. Heineken beer was changed in Bir Bintang and the company-name changed into Perusahaan Bir Bintang. The label changed step by step from Heineken to Bintang.
In 1967 Heineken resumed the activities in Indonesia and – thanks to the renewed technical assistance of the Heineken company – the quality of the beer was again brought up to the international standards. Bir Bintang was relaunched under the name Bintang Baru.
In 2006 the latest label change took place to rejuvenate the Bir Bintang brand.”
Can you believe it, when Miguel Covarrubias (Island Of Bali) landed in Bali in 1936, there was cold beer waiting for him! In the last few months, Bintang has shaken the jar once more, introducing a new label. Some of the old fogies here in Bali, the 50 year old, Marlboro smoking, “I was here in 1970″ brigade, almost fell off their bamboo stools. Give me civil war, give me tsunami’s, give me volcanic eruptions, but don’t change the label on my beer bottle!
Can you believe it, when Miguel Covarrubias (Island Of Bali) landed in Bali in 1936, there was cold beer waiting for him! In the last few months, Bintang has shaken the jar once more, introducing a new label. Some of the old fogies here in Bali, the 50 year old, Marlboro smoking, “I was here in 1970″ brigade, almost fell off their bamboo stools. Give me civil war, give me tsunami’s, give me volcanic eruptions, but don’t change the label on my beer bottle!Where can you buy Bintang?
Almost everywhere. Supermarkets, Circle K’s, convenience stores, bars and restaurants, all serve Bintang.
Where can’t you buy Bintang?
In Muslim places like small warungs and Padang food places. The price of Bintang, while cheap for westerners, is still relatively high for locals. In places like Negara, you will find it hard to get a Bintang. Also in villages it will be served warm.
Where can you drink Bintang?
Anywhere you like, except in a temple / mosque / church.
Who can buy Bintang?
Anyone. In Bali the attitude towards drinking / sex / driving, is ‘when you are old enough, you can do it’. There is no drinking age, no ID required.
Where is the best place to drink a Bintang?
That’s arguable, but a few of my favourites include Lanai (formerly Benny’s) on Blue Ocean beach in Seminyak at sunset. Grabbing a cold one in the middle of a steamy afternoon can be refreshing, as can lounging in a hammock in East Bali.
What can you drink with a Bintang?
Bintang isn’t a particularly distinctive beer. Its decent, especially when served ice-cold. You can drink it by itself, with peanuts, as are often served in Bali, with pedas (spicy) Indonesian food, or at a bbq.
How much does a Bintang cost?
A small Bintang cost around 6,000rp at Circle K, a large 12,000rp.
What alcohol content is Bintang?
Bintang is 5%. A light beer.
Selamat minum.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 25th, 2006