Climate Solutions: Getting it right in the ‘heart’ of the Coral Triangle
Joanne Wilson | Tue, 04/20/2010 11:26 AM | Environment
On April 22, the world will celebrate Earth Day, and this year the focus is on the “other” 70 percent of the earths’ surface — our oceans. To many, the oceans seem mysterious and vast. We have certainly treated the blue part of our planet as a limitless pool from which we can draw resources and deposit vast quantities of rubbish, sediment and toxic waste. But there is now clear evidence that not only are our oceans stressed out but also that the destruction of coral reefs, depletion of fish stocks and declining water quality will affect us all.
Indonesia is an archipelagic nation of more than 17,000 islands, with a high percentage of its population living on the coast and directly dependent on the sea for their livelihoods. The ocean and coasts are resource-rich, and with poverty still one of Indonesia ’s pressing issues there is a strong need to exploit those resources in the name of economic development.
When President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led the highly successful launch of the Coral Triangle Initiative on coral reefs, fisheries and food security, in Manado in May 2009, he recognized the importance of healthy oceans, coral reefs and coastal habitats as a basis for food security and economic development. The challenge now is to overturn the entrenched notion that protecting the ocean comes at the expense of economic development, and vice versa.
This challenge is nowhere more pressing than at the heart of the Coral Triangle in the Bird’s Head region of West Papua . Stretching from Cendrawasih Bay to Raja Ampat and Kaimana, this area is blessed with the world’s most diverse coral reefs, large populations of whales, dolphins and turtles including many rare and endangered species. The area also has abundant natural resources including minerals, forests and fisheries as well as aquaculture industries. Raja Ampat is also one of the world’s premier dive destinations attracting visitors from all over the world.
Although the region is remote and the population of the Bird’s Head region is relatively small compared to other areas of Indonesia , it is not pristine.
Locals can still remember a time when it was possible to put the rice on to boil, go out and catch and cook the fish before the rice was ready. Those days are gone.
Fishing using bombs and poison have been used in many places — destroying the very habitats fish need to survive. The live reef fish trade has scoured the region in its quest to satisfy the delicate tastes of Hong Kong businessmen and stripped the region of its grouper populations. Sharks are also relatively rare thanks to the cruel and wasteful shark-fin trade.
The people and governments of Papua and West Papua provinces — including the local governments of 13 regencies — of the Bird’s Head region, are now making important decisions to provide for economic development while conserving the globally significant biodiversity.
International NGOs have provided support in this decision-making process by helping to gather the best available information on the Bird’s Head region.
One common theme consistently emerges: the importance of managing the oceans, the coast, the people and the resources in an integrated way that recognizes the connectivity of all these elements. Regions are connected through the migration of sea turtles over thousands of kilometers — a turtle killed by a poacher in Raja Ampat will reduce the nesting populations in Cendrawasih.
Species are connected through food chains — tuna eat anchovy, so overharvesting anchovies may affect the tuna industry. Mountains and reefs are closely linked by runoff, so, poorly planned road construction can cause plumes of sediment in coastal waters that kill coral reefs and any chance of reef-based tourism in an area.
Based on this information, a number of steps have been taken to protect the marine environment of the Bird’s Head area. Several local communities have committed to stop poaching turtles and eggs and have instead set up local patrols to protect turtle nesting sits. Shark finning has also recently been banned in Raja Ampat regency.
However, perhaps the most significant initiative has been the declaration of 12 marine protection areas (MPAs) covering nearly 3.6 million hectares of the Bird’s Head marine waters. The key to the success of these MPAs is to ensure that they are embedded in local and national legislation and co-managed by local communities and government. If managed well, these areas can provide for sustainable livelihoods through sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and tourism.
Careful planning throughout the region is also critical to ensuring that the environmental values and economic opportunities are not compromised by poorly planned development. It is important that all industries follow world’s best practice when working anywhere in the Bird’s Head.
By using innovation, clever thinking and careful planning, the people and governments of the Bird’s Head have a unique opportunity to “get it right” and act as a model of healthy oceans not only for the Coral Triangle but the rest of the world.
Joanne Wilson is lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s Indonesia Marine Program, who works in partnership with Conservation International and WWF-Indonesia in the Bird’s Head region, West Papua . The Nature Conservancy is a not-for-profit conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. www.nature.org.
