Indonesia blocks sale of licence to develop protected Widi islands

Military personnel were deployed this week to one of the islands that make up the Widi Reserve, North Maluku, to fly the Indonesian flag and stake the nation’s claim on the archipelago, which is part of the Coral Triangle ecoregion.- Antara

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia New Network): The government has halted a deal to lease out development rights for more than 100 islands in eastern Indonesia following a backlash over their listing in the catalog of auction house Sotheby’s.

The Widi Reserve in North Maluku, which consists of more than 100 environmentally protected islands and is part of the most biodiverse marine area on Earth, has recently become the subject of “overwhelming interest” overseas.