Piaynemo is one of the most iconic locations of Raja Ampat along with Wayag Island. The line of karst rocks protruding from the ocean is the main attraction of the area in Waigeo Barat Kepulauan District. Thanks to Piaynemo, Raja Ampat is known throughout the world as one of the most beautiful tourist locations.
As of November 2017, the Raja Ampat area has been designated as a National Geopark area by the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs. According to UNESCO, the three main elements in a geopark are geodiversity, biodiversity and cultural-diversity. Meanwhile, its management must hold the principle of an established economic development through a geological heritage or sustainable geotourism. This means that the geological area can maximize its economic potential through tourism that pays attention to the preservation of the geopark itself.
This is because the purpose of determining an area to be a geopark or earth park is to protect the diversity of the earth (geodiversity), environmental conservation, and as a means of broader geology education. One of the important geosites in this area that must be protected is Piaynemo. Currently, Piaynemo Geosite is one of the locations for the Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund (ICCTF) project in the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management-Coral Triangle Inivitiave (COREMAP-CTI) program.
As a pilot project location, Piaynemo is expected to be an example of sustainable coastal ecosystem and resource management. Here, the government seeks to improve the overall management of coral reef and coastal ecosystems. The surrounding community is stimulated to grow a creative economy without destroying the sustainability of the coral reef and coastal ecosystems as a whole in the Piaynemo Geosite location.
President Joko Widodo has visited the geosite several times in 2015 and early 2016. In 2017, he visited the area again. Previously, the 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also set foot in this area to inaugurate Sail Raja Ampat in 2014. This shows the popularity of Piaynemo as one of Indonesia’s precious geosites.
As a geosite, Piaynemo is a geological heritage site with certain characteristics, both individual and multi-object. This site cannot be separated from the story of the evolution of the formation of an area. Therefore, the geosite cannot be arbitrarily changed and its existence is closely related to the interest of science to observe life from billions of years ago.
In a study, it was stated that geosite is a landscape, generally rocks resulting from the process of natural formation which have high value as the earth’s heritage. This area can also be interpreted as a natural historical site in relation to the formation of the region, the earth, and human civilization above it. An area can be designated as a geosite if it contains elements of important geological diversity in it.
The existence of a geosite is very important for humans to recognize their civilization as well as to understand the history of the formation of the earth as a whole. With a complete understanding, it is hoped that humans can realize the various kinds of potential that exist in the future based on the information in the past. In addition, by studying the past of the universe, humans are expected to be more caring and willing to protect their environment properly.
Geosite location can also be optimized as a tourism area. Of course, by making it a tourist location, it is hoped that more and more people will have good knowledge of the earth on which he is walking and are willing to take good care of it. The Piaynemo Geosite is an example of the implementation of good park tourism management and has succeeded in attracting waves of tourists, both domestic and international.
Thanks to increasingly developed tourism, various studies have begun to be carried out at Piaynemo. Thus, this geosite not only functions well as a tourist location, but also becomes a good location for the development of science. The tourism potential of the Piaynemo Geosite is also developed within the framework of sustainable development. The simple thing that can be seen from this effort is the various rules that must be obeyed by tourists when visiting Piaynemo.
To enjoy this geosite, tourists can climb Puncak Piaynemo hill which has over 300 steps of staircase. Or they can choose to climb other hilltops, such as Bukit Manta and Bukit Bintang. Of course, the terrains faced are different and the natural treats that are presented are varied. This is the uniqueness of the geosite often nicknamed ‘The Little Wayag’.