Aligned to the spirit of protecting one of the greatest marine biodiversity hotspots on the planet, the Indonesian Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) have begun the process of scaling up to declare marine conservation areas in the Coral Triangle. Two areas have recently received attention, Morotai Island located in northern Halmahera and Lombok Tengah district located in central Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara. Recent surveys have been conducted by DKP , with support from WCS to identify areas of ecological interest that have social and governance support for marine protected area development. Partnerships between national government agencies, international NGOs, district governments and local communities are not unique but certainly can give impetus for ensuring that protected area rules being developed have bottom up and top down support.
Since the ratification of two key laws pertaining to the protection of marine natural resources (Law No. 31/2004 concerning Fisheries and Law No.32/2004 concerning Local Governance) a new new paradigm has emerged in the management of coastal resources and in particular in the development of marine protected areas (MPA) in Indonesia. The laws essentially provide support for local government to have important roles in the development and management of marine protected areas where previously this was not the case. The legislation goes beyond mere semantics as it gives opportunity to local governments to have control over marine resources with national government support and the resources and help that can follow. All things being equal the potential benefits to the protection of Indonesia's marine resources are tangible but it does require adequate resources from national government to ensure that those charged with managing these areas can do so without compromise.
Developing Marine Protected Area Guidelines for Indonesia's Coral Triangle
Pursuant to the Government of Indonesia's regulation No. 60 / 2007, as executor of Law No. 31/ 2004, the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) is currently compiling a guideline to identify new MPAs for Indonesia. WCS has been asked by the DKP to provide input into developing the guideline. The objective of the guideline is to build a common perception and action among technical executors, decision makers and stakeholders in the identification and inventory of critical areas to be proposed as MPAs.The guidelines will detail the data acquisition and identification of marine natural resources that are key to ensuring future resilience of coral reefs. The WCS Marine team is providing expert input into the planning processes necessary to achieve compliance, support and progressive actions to conserve threatened marine resources. The guideline will assist the scaling up of MPAs of eastern Indonesian through a process of 1) identifying and zoning areas of ecological interest, 2) public consultation and 3) facilitating legal processes for the development of marine protected areas at the district level with community support.
Aligned to the spirit of protecting one of the greatest marine biodiversity hotspots on the planet, the Indonesian Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) have begun the process of scaling up to declare marine conservation areas in the Coral Triangle. Two areas have recently received attention, Morotai Island located in northern Halmahera and Lombok Tengah district located in central Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara. Recent surveys have been conducted by DKP , with support from WCS to identify areas of ecological interest that have social and governance support for marine protected area development. Partnerships between national government agencies, international NGOs, district governments and local communities are not unique but certainly can give impetus for ensuring that protected area rules being developed have bottom up and top down support.
Since the ratification of two key laws pertaining to the protection of marine natural resources (Law No. 31/2004 concerning Fisheries and Law No. 32/2004 concerning Local Governance) a new new paradigm has emerged in the management of coastal resources and in particular in the development of marine protected areas (MPA) in Indonesia.The laws essentially provide support for local government to have important roles in the development and management of marine protected areas where previously this was not the case. The legislation goes beyond mere semantics as it gives opportunity to local governments to have control over marine resources with national government support and the resources and help that can follow. All things being equal the potential benefits to the protection of Indonesia's marine resources are tangible but it does require adequate resources from national government to ensure that those charged with managing these areas can do so without compromise.
Ecological identification for KKLD candidate in Morotai, Northern Halmahera.
In early May 2008, Tasrif Kartawijaya and Rian Prasetia (WCS Staff ) supported the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to survey the coral reefs of Morotai Islands, North Halmahera District, as a part process to develop KKLD (Kawasan Konservasi Laut Daerah or District Marine Management Area). Morotai is an island of North Halmahera District and at the centre of the Coral Triangle Seascape which encompasses 5.7 million square kilometers of diverse marine ecosystems. The survey aimed to decide the type of KKLD that would be chosen by government and stakeholders for this area, whether a Marine National Park, Marine Tourism Area, Natural Marine Reserve or Fisheries Sanctuary. The size of this area is likely to be 600 thousand hectares.
Ecological identification for KKLD candidate in West Lombok, NTB.
Rian and Tasrif (WCS) also accompanied DKP staff in June to survey sites for future MPA inclusion in the District of Lombok Tengah, within West Nusa Tenggara Province, in central region of Lombok Island. The area is beset with beautiful seascapes and a wealth of marine natural resources that support tourism and fisheries industries. Tourism activities in Central Lombok include the beach activities in Kuta and Teluk Aan beaches, surfing in Gerupuk and Ekas Bays. Most fishers use traditional fishing methods such as hand lines from small boats (ketinting) while other activities include seaweed and lobster farming in Gerupuk and Awang Bays respectively.
Currently the national government through DKP are investigating management options for the marine natural resources of Central Lombok, identifying local communities and their customs (eg. including local knowledge or wisdom known as Awig-Awig) to manage natural resource use, including fisheries resources.
The Morotai and Lombok ecological surveys are part of DKP's target to conserve 10 million hectares of marine areas in Indonesia by 2010. Until the end of 2007, DKP has claimed 24 sites of KKLD which cover 3,155,572.40 hectares and 19 sites of pre-KKLD declaration which cover 13,591,406.15 hectares. Areas under the Department of Forestry cover 5,426,092.85 hectares. Until the end of 2007, Marine Management Areas in Indonesia totalled 22,175,610.53 hectares (Lestari et al., 20071).
(1Lestari RIP, Setiono, A. Nurhakim, A. Rojayati, R. Sudarisman. 2007. Informasi Kawasan Konservasi Perairan di Indonesia. Direktorat KTNL, Ditjen KP3K, Departemen Kelauran dan Perikanan Indonesia. Jakarta)