Abundant Blessings from ‘Sasi’ in Mayalibit Bay
The people of Yensner village in Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua, practice sasi, their ancestral wisdom, in exploiting the local marine biodiversity.
The coastline of Yensner village in Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua, as seen on Thursday (3/6/2021)
Four plastic balls float on the seas directly off the coast of Yensner village, Mayalibit Bay. The floats indicate that the marine environment should not be disturbed carelessly. Not all the marine life in it can be harvested. If there are marine biota that can be harvested, they must be caught in an environmentally friendly way. The local residents obey the restrictive rules, which is called sasi in the local language.
The four floats are positioned to form a rectangle that extends from two headlands flanking Yensner village in Raja Ampat regency, West Papua. The community-protected area is around 1 kilometer long and 2 kilometers wide, towards the middle of the bay.