Move over, Great Barrier Reef: Coral researchers recently discovered what they think is the most valuable reef cluster in the world. Known collectively as Raja Ampat, the reefs are located in a remote archipelago off the coast of Indonesia. In the course of a two-and-a-half week expedition there, a survey team recorded 972 species — 283 of them in a single dive. Gerald Allen, the team’s lead researcher, described the species diversity as “mind-boggling”; a colleague who authored the definitive work on corals of the world immediately found seven new species at Raja Ampat. The reefs owe their spectacular diversity to their location at the intersection of different waters, bringing in species from the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. Moreover, the area is flushed with cooler waters that help protect against coral bleaching, an increasing threat to reefs worldwide. Still, scientists warn that even these remote reefs are threatened by illegal fishing and illegal logging, which causes soil erosion and silting that can choke living coral.
