CURRENT STATE OF THE MARINE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK IN THE BANDA SUNDA SEASCAPE
By: Amkieltiela (Marine Science and Knowledge Management Officer, WWF-Indonesia)
The Sunda Banda Seascape (Sunda Banda Seascape (SBS)) is a seascape in Indonesia that lies at the center of the world's coral reef triangle (coraltriangle). It spans 151 million ha and has large areas of coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves.
The Sunda Banda Seascape encompasses waters and several islands, ranging from Bali to the Nusa Tenggara region, all the way to the Southeast Moluccas, then north to the southern and eastern sides of Sulawesi Island.
The Sunda Banda Seascape is divided into three sub-seascapes, namely Southern-Eastern Sulawesi (SESS), Lesser Sunda (LSS), and Inner Banda Arc (IBAS). The SESS covers the southern and southeastern regions of Sulawesi Island. Within this sub-seascape, there are two marine conservation areas, namely Wakatobi National Park, Southeast Sulawesi and Takabonerate National Park, South Sulawesi.
LSS covers Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, to East Nusa Tenggara. Komodo National Park, East Flores Regional Marine Conservation Area, and Alor Marine Nature Reserve are included in the LSS coverage. Meanwhile, the Kei Islands, Yamdena, and Koon Islands in the Banda Sea, Maluku are part of the largest sub-landscape in the SBS, covering 36 hectares.
Unfortunately, the Sunda Banda Seascape is threatened by anthropogenic activities such as destructive and overfishing practices, making it a priority area for conservation in Indonesia. As of December 2017, there are 85 conservation areas managed by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
SBS Dashboard: Status of Ecological, Social, and Economic Conditions of Marine Protected Areas in the Sunda Banda Seascape
WWF and partners released the SBS Dashboard, a study that presents the status of ecological, social, and economic conditions of the 85 MPAs in the SBS in 2017.
This assessment is based on scientific analysis grouped into 5 domains, namely (1) Enabling Conditions*, (2) Community Welfare, (3) Ecosystem Health, (4) Fish and Fisheries, and (5) Governance. These five indicators were developed to assess the effectiveness of marine protected area (MPA) management from different aspects of both ecological and social conditions until 2017.
Destructive Fishing, Highest Threat to Conservation Areas
The results of the analysis show that MPAs have protected 20% of the critical habitat area (coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves) with varying distances between MPAs. The closer the distance between MPAs, the better the level of connectivity to support optimal habitat protection.
The study also identified the highest publicly perceived threats to MPAs as destructive fishing practices such as the use of explosives and potassium cyanide. In addition, waste, resources and management capacity were also identified as varying greatly from 9 - 90% depending on the age of the MPA.
Coastal Community Welfare
In terms of community welfare, LSS (Lesser Sunda Subseascape) has the highest levels of food security and political empowerment. While IBAS (Inner Banda Arc Subseascape) has the highest rates for the number of children enrolled in school (sschool enrollment) and the level of community connection to coastal areas.
Condition of Coral Reef, Mangrove, and Seagrass Ecosystems
The average hard coral cover in SBS was 36%, mangrove cover was 5%, and seagrass cover was 40%. This means that seagrass and coral reef ecosystems are well protected (>30%), but mangrove ecosystems need additional protected areas. Bali and Maluku provinces have well protected mangrove habitats. Other provinces need to increase the area of mangrove ecosystem protection.
Fisheries for Coastal Communities
SBS communities rely heavily on the fisheries sector to support food security. The highest reef fish biomass and fish size were found in IBAS, especially in Koon MPA. However, community participation in monitoring and enforcement was higher in LSS.
Recommendations for Marine Protected Area Management
Our study recommends to (1) apply 'smart and effective' principles in designing MPAs; (2) improve management effectiveness; (3) develop MPA networks; (4) improve the social conditions of communities living within MPAs; (5) conduct ecological, social, and economic monitoring and evaluation; (6) minimize threats to marine resources; (7) promote sustainable fisheries; (8) increase community awareness and participation in marine resource protection through socialization and facilitation efforts; and (8) strengthen customary systems in protecting marine resources and integrate them in MPA management plans.
For further study results, please download the document State of the Sunda Banda Seascape Marine Protected Area Network - 2017 on this page.
*) Enabling conditions are the best conditions deliberately created to support the effectiveness of MPAs at both national and local levels, including legal, ecological, institutional, financial, and political aspects (Conservation and Community Investment Forum, 2013).
