Sulawesi is the core of Wallacea. One of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots, it is home to a magnificent wealth of biodiversity, where 98% of mammals, 33% of birds, and almost 80% of amphibians are endemic. North Sulawesi Province with 15,272 km2 of area and 1,837 km of coastline, is one of the richest in natural marine and coastal resources. North Sulawesi also known as the heart of Coral Triangle, which have the highest coral reef biodiversity, large area of mangrove and sea grass habitat. The marine conservation area in North Sulawesi includes Marine Protected Area and Mangrove Protected area in 26 villages, Bunaken National Park, MPAs in North Minahasa, Bitung and Sangihe Regency.
In North Sulawesi, we work closely with North Sulawesi Conservation Agency, with a mandate to manage 13 conservation areas, eight of which in North Sulawesi and the other five in Gorontalo. One of the conservation areas under the agency is Tangkoko Conservation Forest Management Unit that includes three forest areas: Duasudara Nature Reserve, Batuputih Nature Park, and Batuangus Nature Park. The agency is also responsible for the conservation of threatened and protected species outside conservation areas and tackling illegal wildlife trade.
Conservation Challenges
The objective of our work in North Sulawesi is to reduce the follwong threats to biodiversity in this province, as follows:
- Mangrove area conversion for coastal development and aquaculture
- Coastal and marine pollution from land
- Lack of capacity to manage marine and coastal resources
- Destructive fishing practices using blast fishing and cyanide
- Poor law enforcement related with destructive fishing activities
- Unsustainable fishing due to lack of fisheries management
- Extraction of protected and threatened species
Conservation Approach
We started our program in North Sulawesi in 1995 by conducting biodiversity surveys in Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Our recent works include supporting North Sulawesi Conservation Agency in the maleo nesting site management in three sites located in the buffer zones of the conservation areas under the agency, facilitating South Bolaang Mongondow District Government to strengthen their policy framework for species and habitat protection by establishing wildlife corridors outside conservation areas, facilitating community groups in buffer zones and wildlife corridors to develop sustainable agriculture, and strengthening situation-based conservation area protection through the Integrated Prevention Model (IPM).
Activities
We started our program in North Sulawesi in 2009 by assisting local community and government to improve MPA management in North Minahasa. In North Sulawesi we have been working to:
- improve capacity of community-based MPA in North Minahasa and Sitaro Regency,
- assist the establishment of MPAs in North Minahasa and Bitung Regency,
- assist the marine spatial planning process through providing data and technical assistance,
- assist the transfer MPA management authority from regency to provincial government as mandated by Law No.23/2014, and
- assist the establishment of MPA management institution at provincial level.