Corals - Wildlife Conservation Network

Protecting the world’s richest coral reefs in Indonesia

When you support Misool Foundation, you help safeguard the most biodiverse coral reefs on Earth through the empowerment of local communities, enabling them to reclaim their traditional tenureship of reefs.

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Misool Foundation delivers measurable conservation results to protect the most biodiverse marine environments on earth.

Misool Foundation manages a suite of conservation programs that combine marine governance, waste management, community empowerment, and the conservation of a diverse array of species.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, form some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems.

The 300,000-acre Misool Marine Reserve, which is the size of all five of New York City’s boroughs combined, is a marine conservation area patrolled by the Misool Ranger Patrol. This reserve is a safe haven for manta rays, sharks, and turtles, and is home to over 75% of the world’s known coral species.

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A core belief at Misool Foundation is that sustainable tourism and community-based conservation are mutually beneficial.

The Misool Foundation proactively addresses threats to marine life through ranger patrols, reef restoration, community recycling, education, and sustainable development programs. And through the Misool Resort, the Foundation seeks to demonstrate that sustainable tourism can provide a better livelihood for local people than logging, mining, or overfishing.

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Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, form some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems.

Find out more

A core belief at Misool Foundation is that sustainable tourism and community-based conservation are mutually beneficial.

Find out more

Coral polyps are invertebrate animals that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. These colonies serve as the foundation for coral reef ecosystems.

Unfortunately, coral reefs are threatened by climate change, destructive coastal development, overfishing, and land-based sources of pollution, such as plastic waste. But thanks to the work of Misool Foundation, there is greater biodiversity of fish, coral, and mollusks, found among Misool’s reefs than any other coral reef ecosystem on Earth. A single football field-sized patch of Misool’s reefs has nearly five times the number of coral species as the entire Caribbean Sea.

Misool Foundation’s work began in 2005, when they first leased 100,000 acres of marine habitat in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. At the center of this area was a stunning, uninhabited island called Batbitim. Sadly, this island’s white beach was covered with the carcasses of dead baby sharks, whose fins had been removed to supply the shark fin soup trade.

Since that time, a holistic approach to conservation and sustainable tourism has changed the outcome for the Misool Marine Reserve, allowing wildlife to recover. A team of local rangers, many of whom formerly participated in the shark fin trade, now patrols the region using a 5-boat fleet and radar surveillance to prevent overfishing. This has led to a 250% average increase in marine life inside the reserve, including 25 times more sharks in Misool’s reefs than when they first began their work, and a dramatic increase in manta rays as well.

Conservation Solutions

Boosting Local Economies

Tackling Wildlife Crime

Boosting Local Economies

Misool Foundation, along with the Misool Resort, uses eco-tourism revenue to support conservation. This model is self-reinforcing—improving ecosystem health attracts more global recognition and ecotourism revenue, which is then re-invested into further conservation efforts.

Misool Foundation also supports alternative livelihood cooperatives, such as small-scale fruit orchards and vegetable gardens that produce locally-sold consumer goods, like dried banana and taro chips, thereby bolstering economic resilience in the community. The cooperative’s name in the local Misool language, Koperasi Famembefi, translates roughly as ‘to look after one another.’

Empowering Women

The most active members of the Misool Foundation’s alternative livelihoods cooperatives have been Papuan women. By engaging more women in sustainable livelihoods, Misool Foundation builds resilience into the local economy, so that household income doesn’t rely solely on fishing or tourism revenue.

As women have become more involved in small-scale orchards and gardens, they’ve called upon male household members to assist with harvesting, gaining firsthand experience with a steady income not associated with marine extraction. Thanks to this success, harvesting produce has become a less risky source of income than fishing.

Expanding Education

As part of the Misool Marine Reserve lease agreement with local communities, Misool Foundation has supported early childhood education in the villages of South Misool, including building a kindergarten to improve early student retention. Misool Foundation also helps build curricula about marine conservation into local schools across all ages.

Guiding Policy

The Misool Manta Project’s satellite tagging data has demonstrated that both oceanic and reef manta rays leave the Raja Ampat Shark and Manta Sanctuary. This information was presented to the national government of Indonesia, highlighting the need for nationwide protection. Misool Foundation’s data was also used to calculate the tourism potential and economic value of live mantas versus dead ones. Thanks in large part to the Misool Manta Project’s research, Indonesia created a momentous nationwide ban on manta ray fishing and trading in 2014.

Promoting Health

Although plastic waste is sometimes perceived as a downstream problem, it can come back to damage human health after accumulating significantly in our ecosystems and fish products. Humans are exposed to microplastics through the ingestion of fishery products and contaminated water. These contaminants can contain elements that are toxic to humans. Misool Foundation’s Community Recycling program incentivizes communities to properly dispose of waste by purchasing rubbish directly from coastal villages, then shipping material back to the mainland for recycling, diverting ocean-bound plastics while improving household incomes and health.

Restoring Habitat

Misool Foundation launched the Reef Restoration Project in 2013 to rebuild coral flats that had been devastated by dynamite fishing prior to the establishment of the MPA network. Using a technique called coral transplantation, Misool Foundation’s team of coral farmers create artificial reefs from wire mesh frames on areas of broken coral. Living corals are transplanted onto these frames and cleaned and monitored, giving them the best chance of survival. Over time, these reefs will grow naturally, providing new habitat for fish, corals, and other marine wildlife.

Scientific Research

The Misool Manta Project collects population and behavioral data on vulnerable manta ray populations, including both oceanic mantas (Manta birostris) and reef mantas (Manta alfredi). The project provides robust population data to the government, NGOs, communities, and conservationists. This data has been leveraged to promote the protection of manta rays and ensure the long-term survival of these charismatic megafauna, as well as their habitat.

Tackling Wildlife Crime

Misool Foundation protects a 300,000 acre marine reserve at the heart of global marine biodiversity, comprised of two distinct No-Take Zones and a restricted-gear blue water corridor. The marine reserve is patrolled by a team of local rangers, with backup from marine police. The rangers move between the base camp and ranger stations, maintaining constant vigilance over the marine reserve with physical patrols, radar, and drone surveillance.

Boosting Local Economies

Tackling Wildlife Crime

You Are Making an Impact for Coral Reefs

When you get involved, donate, or spread the word on social media, you are truly making a better world for coral reefs and the communities that live near them. Here are a few ways you can help:

Connect with Misool Foundation on social media to learn more about their work and be a voice for coral reefs.

Visit Misool Foundation’s website and sign up for their newsletter to deepen your connection with conservation.
VISIT WEBSITE

You can also help while you travel. Visit the Misool Foundation Resort for a beautiful private island experience and to support their conservation efforts.

Donate to support Misool Foundation’s work protecting coral reefs. Through our donation model, 100% of your donation goes to field with zero taken for overhead or administration.

Thriving coral reefs are essential for marine conservation. Coral provides homes to the smallest and largest marine animals, while supporting food security and economic development for coastal communities. The support of WCN will allow us to advance our conservation work in Raja Ampat and safeguard the future of these diverse marine ecosystems. We are honoured to join the WCN Partner Network and look forward to collaborating with partners across the network, united by our common goal to protect endangered wildlife.

Virly Yuriken, Chairperson of Misool Foundation

Photography Credits: Shawn Heinrichs, Tobias Zimmer, Pambajeng Putro

Misool Foundation

Protecting the world’s richest coral reefs in Indonesia

Misool Foundation delivers measurable conservation results to protect the most biodiverse marine environments on earth.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, form some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems.

A core belief at Misool Foundation is that sustainable tourism and community-based conservation are mutually beneficial.

Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, form some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems.

A core belief at Misool Foundation is that sustainable tourism and community-based conservation are mutually beneficial.

Species Impact

Team Values