Indonesia

Marine Protected Areas in Indonesia

Indonesia has the second longest coastline in the world at 95,181 km and has the greatest coral reef area of any country in the world, 51,020 sq km. Central and eastern Indonesia lies within the Coral Triangle, the area of highest marine biodiversity on Earth. Over 70% of all reef-building coral species are found in Indonesia. Eastern Indonesia also has the world’s highest diversity of coral reef fishes, at 1,111 species[1]. Among the threats to Indonesia’s reefs are direct human impacts such as overfishing and destructive fishing practices, such as blasting and poisoning, as well as indirect threats from coastal development and pollution from land-based sources[2].

Indonesia has established over 200 MPAs 243 listed in WDPA) many of which are actually combined terrestrial and marine parks, administered by the Ministry of Forestry. Recently, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries took over the administration of marine protected areas, particularly the National Marine Parks. In 2008, Indonesia fulfilled its commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Program of Work on Protected Areas to create 10 million hectares of MPAs by 2010, with the declaration of the 3.5 million hectare Savu Sea Marine National Park within the Lesser Sunda Ecoregion[2].

In Indonesia, MPAs can be established by national, provincial and/or district governments under either Law 31/2004 (fisheries) or Law 27/2007 (spatial planning). These laws allow for multiple uses within the MPA through the application of zoning and management plans. These zones include no go, no-take and sustainable use zones [2].

An important aspect of MPA design and implementation in Indonesia is to conserve coral reefs and coastal habitats not only for their biodiversity values but to also to support sustainable resource use for the benefit of local people. In Indonesia local people rely heavily on fishery resources as a source of daily protein and cash income. Therefore it is important that MPAs accommodate sustainable fisheries for local communities and support [2]. Lack of appropriate resources for enforcement, management and implementation from the district to national levels make it challenging to demonstrate benefits from MPAs [2].

Sources

[1] http://www.reefbase.org/key_topics/pdf/Indonesia%20mpa.pdf

[2] Wilson, J., A. Darmawan, J. Subijanto, A. Green and S. Sheppard. (2011). Scientific design of a resilient network of marine protected areas. Lesser Sunda Ecoregion, Coral Triangle Asia Pacific Marine Program. Report 2/11. 96 pp.