Raja Ampat,'Last Paradise on Earth', under Threat

"We do not want to compete with Bali, we do not want to develop big resorts like in Bali," insisted Hari Untoro Dradjat, senior adviser at the National Tourism Ministry.

"Quality, not quantity, is the goal," he added. "We believe in the protection of the uniqueness of this area."

The number of tourists arriving in Raja Ampat is "actually still very low compared to other tourism destinations, nonetheless there are already signs of overcrowding on specific popular dive sites," said Mark Erdmann, senior advisor for Conservation International in Indonesia.

"The important thing will be to carefully manage tourism development to spread the pressure over a greater area of Raja Ampat and avoid crowding on popular sites," he said.

He welcomed a new regulation adopted in July restricting the number of resorts to 20, about three times the present number.

In May 2007, the government imposed an entrance fee of 500,000 Indonesian rupiah ($A55) for foreign visitors and 250,000 for Indonesians, with 30 per cent of the proceeds going to the regional tourism ministry, and the rest for conservation, education and health.

"Raja Ampat is eco tourism not mass tourism like Bali," insisted Lamatenggo, citing as proof the recent creation of seven marine parks covering a total of 1.2 million hectares, or 45 per cent of the region's reefs and mangroves.

But the government has refused to yield on development, despite repeated objections by NGOs in Indonesian Papua. Erdmann said that construction was beginning to take its toll on the fragile ecosystem.

"Raja Ampat right now is already suffering from a number of ill-conceived government infrastructure development projects, especially from 'ring road' development around many of the bigger islands," he said.

"There is in fact no real justification for these roads, as the people of Raja Ampat do not have any cars or motorbikes but rely on sea transportation," Erdmann stressed, adding that the work is smothering precious reefs.