The SEA People

The SEA People, locally known as Orang Laut Papua, is a field-based nonprofit foundation working to restore, protect and conserve coral reefs in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Since 2015, it has partnered with local communities who rely on healthy reefs for food and livelihoods, combining scientific methods and technology with traditional knowledge and management practices. Its work addresses pressures from unsustainable development and climate change in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine regions.

The foundation’s Yaf Keru program restores degraded reefs and protects healthy ones while providing local residents with education, training and full-time employment. Its community capacity-building initiatives offer skills, certifications and opportunities in diving, reef restoration, ecology and teaching. The SEA People also runs scuba training for local community members, regenerative tourism activities and the REEF Initiative, which engages communities, conservationists and divers in reef health monitoring and marine-life observations. Additional efforts include managing crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and using custom technology to support conservation planning.