goodmorningpapua.com – The UNESCO Global Geopark team will visit the Raja Ampat Geopark in West Papua to assess whether the site deserves its status as a world geopark. Raja Ampat Regent Abdul Faris Umlati said that the UNESCO team would arrive in Raja Ampat district on October 12, 2022.
“The local government supports efforts to increase the status of Raja Ampat as part of the UNESCO Global Geopark,” said Faris, Monday, October 10, 2022.
The UNESCO Global Geopark Secretariat sent Charalampos Fassoulas and Alireza Amrikazemi as a team to assess the Raja Ampat Geopark. Both will be in Raja Ampat for five days.
Faris also said that the Raja Ampat Geopark has various potential natural resources which are now a tourist attraction in itself. This geopark consists of a group of karst islands located right on the equator. There is said to be the oldest exposed rock in the world, which is 439-360 million years old. In fact, Raja Ampat is likened to a book, because the geological history of the Raja Ampat region is completely composed and represents almost a tenth of the earth’s age.
The Raja Ampat Geopark also stores Papua’s megabiodiversity, so it’s not surprising that most of the area is included in the conservation area. The marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Raja Ampat are a habitat for hundreds of unique, rare and endangered species as well as home to various endemic species of animals and plants.
In terms of culture, Raja Ampat has a wealth of wall paintings, new sacred eggs to dances and traditional ceremonies that closely describe the relationship between residents and the natural surroundings. Local communities and indigenous peoples who live in the Raja Ampat Geopark area actively participate in the implementation of various activities. activity.
According to Faris, if the Raja Ampat Geopark becomes part of the UNESCO Global Geopark, then Raja Ampat can be a better managed area and make the community more prosperous.