Marine Protected Area (MPA)
Status: Ongoing, since 2016
North Sulawesi Province is located in the north-central part of Indonesia near the heart of the coral triangle region, beside the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea Eco-Region. It has a very high marine biodiversity, that acts as the foundations of very lucrative fishing and marine tourism industries. These regions are endowed with high abundance of natural resources and are part of the world’s highest marine biodiversity region where more than 70 genres of hard corals and 2,500 species of fish occur. Several places in Minahasa are hotspots for marine turtle nesting, dugongs, the Indonesian Coelacanth or King of the Sea (Latimeria menadoensis) and several species of cetaceans, while in terrestrial sites one can find the Crested Black Macaque (Macaca nigra) and tarsiers (Tarsius spectrum). Unfortunately the region is also home to many vulnerable and endangered marine species that need improved protection through the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
However, that is not easy, because the majority of people living in coastal villages are strongly dependent on marine resources. Even inland, because of the population growth and socio-economic development, there is an increasing demand for fish and aquaculture products. This rise in demand has led to an increased pressures on marine ecosystems, and has accelerated degradation and exploitation of the ecosystems.
Map (1)
Map (2)
The Indonesian government is targeting a Marine Conservation Area of 32.5 million hectares, as much as 10% of the total Indonesian marine territory, by 2030. In supporting the Government of Indonesia to meet its goal, Manengkel Solidaritas, alongside local government and community partners, has demonstrated commitment to improving natural resource management in the marine corridor of North Sulawesi through the development of Community Based Marine Protected Areas (CB-MPAs).
In each CB-MPA, Manengkel wants to implement the idea of importance, for environmental conservation and protection. We want to offer them the tools and practice that are needed for the correct management of CB-MPA projects. These projects include: creating no-take areas, where taking of any marine organism is banned (in order to rebuild fish populations), creating areas for the protection of tourism values, restricting fishing gear across large swathes of marine waters, protecting vital ecosystems such as spawning grounds, marine corridors and productive mangrove forests.
In order to create an effective CB-MPA, it is important to identify ecological, socio-economic and governance factors that can support the community and enable effective management, while respecting the fundamental ideas of environmental conservation. Manengkel first gain knowledge on the situation, surrounding the community, by doing surveys and research. The acquired information, together with innovative solutions towards improvement, is then shared through 'the ridge to reef' approach and awareness campaigns. The activities that Manengkel organises, comprise a lot of close contact with the people of the community. By proposing workshops and spreading informative posters to villagers and local governments, the message get's disseminated effectively. These measures help improve the behaviour of the communities and increase their awareness towards environmental conservation and endangered species.
To improve effective management of CB-MPAs it is important that communities have knowledge and capacity in different areas such as: infrastructure management (e.g., marker buoys, signs, and surveillance equipment), sustainable fishing, coordinated surveillance, reporting strategies and enforcement programs. Manengkel organises training sessions to help building leadership inside of the management units of each CB-MPA. It also teaches them to develop standard operating procedures in their conservational work, according to community needs.
This project is supported by :
