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Dangerous starfish species threatens coral reefs in Raja Ampat
Known for its venomous thorn-like spines, the crown-of-thorns starfish feeds on coral reefs, resulting in ecosystem destruction.
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A large crown-of-thorns starfish feeds on hard coral in a tropical coral reef. (shutterstock.com/Richard Whitcombe/File)
B
ack in 2017, cruise ship MV Caledonian Sky ran aground in shallow waters of Raja Ampat, West Papua, damaging coral reefs and their surrounding ecosystem.
Such incidents are not the only thing that has put living coral reefs in danger.
Large crown-of-thorns starfish also reportedly pose a serious threat to reefs. Known for their venomous thorn-like spines, the starfish feed on coral reefs, resulting in ecosystem destruction.
According to Antara news agency, the large population of crown-of-thorns starfish in Raja Ampat is due to the altered nutrients in the regency’s waters, caused by sea pollution. To make matters worse, the population of sea snails, a predator of the starfish, is on the decline.
The regency's regional secretary, Yusuf Salim, said the local administrator, international conservation institutions and environmental organizations in the region had formed a team as part of efforts to curb the population of the marine invertebrate.
Maikel Sada, secretary of the Raja Ampat branch of the Indonesian Tour Guide Association (HPI), which is among the organizations that working to actively suppress the population, said its members had successfully wiped out 3,000 crown-of-thorns starfish in the last two years.
“We will continue to conduct such activity to preserve the coral reefs,” said Maikel. (wir/kes)
