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Here at Papua Explorers, an eco lodge in Raja Ampat, we believe that divers and snorkelers are amongst the lucky ones. We get to experience firsthand the extraordinary beauty of the underwater world. It is also our belief that as divers, we have a duty of care to do what we can to conserve the areas in which we dive. Accordingly, we see ourselves as ambassadors for healthy marine ecosystems the world over. You can help with that by supporting our Raja Ampat eco tourism practices during your stay at Papua Explorers.
In order to do our part in minimizing our impact on Raja Ampat, we participate in a number of eco tourism practices. These small practices contribute to a much greater outcome. The health and longevity of not only our home reef, but the wider reef systems within Raja Ampat. We hope that through these efforts, we can help to ensure pristine coral reefs in the area. Consequently, we can provide spectacular diving for all of our guests for many years to come.
We invite our guests to support us in our Raja Ampat eco tourism practices by following the simple recommendations outlined below.
Please be mindful of using non eco-friendly products (shampoo, conditioner, facewash etc) in showers and washbasins. These chemical pollutants cause eutrophication; the creation of an environment that favors algal growth over coral growth, ultimately causing the degradation of coral reefs. As an alternative, each water bungalow in our Raja Ampat eco lodge is supplied with environmentally friendly soap as well as shampoo/bodywash.
We understand that we are in the tropics, and sun protection is essential. However, much of what you apply to your skin ends up in the water, and unfortunately one of the main ingredients in sunblock (oxybenzone) inhibits the growth of baby corals, and kills coral polyps. Across the world coral reefs are increasingly showing damage caused by the presence of sunblock in the water.
To help ensure our contribution to this type of pollution is minimal, we encourage you to use only Eco-friendly sun creams during your stay with us. These sun creams that are readily available (in stores or online) across the USA, Europe and Australia.
Sadly, much of the world’s plastic waste ends up in our waterways, and at this point there is not a single ocean or sea in the world that does not contain micro-plastics. Additionally, batteries – as useful as they are – are a toxic form of marine pollution. At Papua Explorers, all of our waste is removed from the island and taken to our nearest small city; Waisai. However, throughout Indonesia waste management systems are poor, and in Waisai this waste ends up as landfill.
Therefore we ask that where possible our guests take their plastic waste and used batteries with them when they leave. This helps to minimize the risk of localized waste production and pollution. It is better to dispose them in your home country, where efficient recycling and waste management systems are available.
Many of our guests are kind enough to bring along with them donations for our local village, Yenwaupnor. We (and the people from the village!) are very grateful for this generous practice. However, we ask that our guests please ensure any plastic packaging is removed first. Further that candies (for a number of reasons), particularly those that are individually wrapped, are not distributed to the village children.
Our resort relies on water from a natural well, and this water is a precious and finite resource that we need to manage carefully. To assist us in this management, we ask our guests to please re-use towels (we will replace them every 2 days). Should you require fresh towels at any time, please leave used towels on the floor and our housekeeping staff will replace them. The laundry in our Raja Ampat eco lodge uses environmentally friendly laundry detergent.
Papua Explorers Eco Resort established the Papua Explorers Foundation Raja Ampat SEA Centre as a conservation initiative. It is an NGO dedicated to conserving Raja Ampat’s marine life through Science, Education & Awareness (SEA). We work with collaborating scientists and local community members. The foundation also serves as a platform to conduct conservation work. We also conduct valuable scientific research into the marine ecology and environment in the region. Click here to learn more about our foundation and projects.
Thank you for supporting our eco-friendly practice during your stay.