Excepetional diverstity of plants and wildlife
A large part of West Papua's wildlife and vegetation is of Australian origin. West Papua is -contrary to all other Indonesian islands- located East of Wallace's line, the imaginary divide that separates the Asian from the Australian bio-geographical zones. Here you can find flora and fauna that can be found nowhere else in the world.
For those who are seeking variety, head for the Bird's Head Peninsula. West Papua's biodiversity is one of the broadest in the world. The island harbors amongst others over 2700 species of orchids, liana, medicinal plants and an abundance of tree ferns. At least 650 species of birds and many subspecies are found in the area. In the highlands of the Penungan Arfak nature reserve (25 kilometers from Manokwari) 320 species of birds have been registered, among which several species of birds of paradise, parrots, cockatoos, the Little Egret, the New Guinea Harpy Eagle, several types of Bower birds and the Arfak Astrapia.
Besides this, around 110 mammal species roam the Arfak mountains, including 30 types of marsupials, tree kangaroos, many ‘cus-cus' (tree-dwelling marsupial) species, flying foxes, bats and opossums. Furthermore Papua Barat is the habitat to countless insects and reptiles, for example large, hand-sized butterflies and the smaller relative to the Komodo dragon.
The marine reserves Raja Ampat Marine Park and Cenderawasih Marine Park with their dazzling corals and paradise like islands are unique in the world. These areas have an unprecedented richness in biodiversity: dolphins, turtles, manta rays, pilot whales, pygmy seahorse, and so on. Several new species have been discovered here, most recently in 2007.
Travel in West Papua
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Papua Barat