Livelihoods and Custom
Waidim faces some of the richest water in the world. Detailed figures on how its residents make a living have not been recorded, so this page carries what we can actually cite: the custom that guards that sea, and the wealth of Raja Ampat's waters as regional context.
Sasi
- Waidim Village
The mangrove sasi, 25 January
The head of Kampung Waidim took part in a customary sasi ceremony closing the mangrove forest to logging, at Kasim Raja in North Salawati. He stood alongside the heads of Jefman Timur, Jefman Barat, Kapatlap, Samate, Wamega, Wailem, and Waibu. The ceremony was led by Taher Arfan, chair of the Kalanafat customary council, witnessed by the Samate military commander and the district head, and facilitated by Conservation International Indonesia. The reason was plain and pressing: the mangrove was being felled too often, and marine life feeds among its roots.
Academic sourceRaja4 Biodiversity Conservation Bulletin, Vol. 2 No. 2, February 2013, ISSN 2338-5421Note: Published by a consortium of UNIPA, Universitas Brawijaya, LIPI, and Conservation International Indonesia.
- Raja Ampat Regency
Sasi, customary law over the sea
Sasi is the closing of a stretch of sea or land for a set period so that its resources can recover. In Raja Ampat the authority to open and close a sasi rests with the customary petuanan holding communal rights, and the practice is recognised in the marine protected area zoning.
Official sourceRaja Ampat Marine Protected Area, culture and zoning pages
The waters of Raja Ampat
The figures below describe Raja Ampat Regency, not Kampung Waidim specifically.
- Raja Ampat Regency
More than 550 hard coral species
The waters of Raja Ampat hold more than 550 hard coral species, roughly three quarters of all the hard coral species in the world.
- Raja Ampat Regency
More than 1,074 reef fish species
More than 1,074 reef fish species have been recorded in Raja Ampat, the third richest count in the world after Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea and Maumere Bay in Flores.
Academic sourceRaja4 Biodiversity Conservation Bulletin, Vol. 2 No. 2, February 2013, ISSN 2338-5421Note: Published by a consortium of UNIPA, Universitas Brawijaya, LIPI, and Conservation International Indonesia.
- Raja Ampat Regency
UNESCO Global Geopark, 2023
Raja Ampat Regency was designated a UNESCO Global Geopark on 24 May 2023 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Official sourceANTARA, Indonesian national news agency
- Raja Ampat Regency
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, 2025
On 27 September 2025 Raja Ampat was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, covering some 135,000 square kilometres and more than 610 islands.
Secondary sourceMongabay, environmental journalism
What we do not yet know
Breakdowns of livelihood, education, and religion for Waidim’s residents are not yet available.
If the Waidim village government is willing to share data on its residents' livelihoods, this page will be updated to carry it, together with its source.