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Establishing the Kolepom Island Marine Protected Area (MPA)

GEF-UNDP-PEMSEA Arafura-Timor Seas Programme

By IW:LEARN

March 8^th, 2021

Regaining momentum towards Effective Management of the Kolepom Island Marine Protected Area (MPA), Papua Province, Indonesia

After five years of a complex and lengthy process, the Papua Provincial Government finally established Kolepom Island MPA on September 26, 2020. Kolepom Island, also well-known as Dolok Island, is part of the Merauke Regency, leaf-shaped and separated only by the narrow Muli Strait from the mainland of Papua.

The Governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, signed a Governor Decree No.188.4/295/2019 to secure an area of 353,286 Ha in Kolepom Island, Merauke District, Indonesia, as an MPA. The MPA is designed to achieve sustainable management of key marine species and preserve the rare and protected sawfish species (Anoxypristis cuspidata, Pristis clavate, and Pristis pristis).

The Indonesian Government welcomed this new MPA because the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) has targeted the establishment of a total of 30 million hectares of MPAs by 2030. However, establishing a new MPA is only the first step towards protecting and ensuring sustainable marine resources management. The next big challenge is ensuring the operational and effective management of MPAs to benefit the community. Creating an operational MPA management body and the development of a Management and Zoning Plan are two important steps towards effective MPA management.

On December 30, 2020, Secretary of the Papua Province, Doren Wakerkwa, followed up the decree by signing an appointment decree No. 188.4/21536/SET on Task Force Formation for the development of Kolepom Island MPA Zoning Plan. This task force is led by the Marine and Fisheries Office of Papua and supported by relevant national and provincial agencies, local universities, community leaders’ representatives from 3 (three) districts (Kimaam, Waan, and Tabonji), and ATSEA-2 Project. The Task Force will collect, compile, and analyse data and information, design zones and sub-zones, and do public consultations to garner inputs from wider stakeholders.

Agency for Coastal and Marine Management of the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in Sorong (LPSPL-Sorong) team passing through Kocember River to reach Yeraha Village, Tabonji District, Merauke, Indonesia. Photo by: LPSPL-Sorong

Several activities have been carried out toward developing the MPA zoning plan, including coordination meetings among the task force members, technical capacity building, consent on the roadmap, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with key stakeholders. Moreover, as part of the Task Force, the ATSEA-2 project team contributed technical support during the capacity building, provided technical assistance for zoning design, and facilitated meetings.

Zoning plan is a vital precursor for effective MPA management and effectively managed MPAs are widely recognized to lead to positive outcomes for biodiversity and fisheries sustainability. Conserving Kolepom Island off Papua's coast is crucial to initiate protection and sustainable management for this high-value area. As a part of the Arafura and Timor Seas region, Kolepom Island’s abundant and pristine mangrove cover and river mouths bring fatty nutrient deposits, contributing to its high productivity. These conditions make the coast of Kolepom Island a thriving nursery ground for fish and shrimps, which attracts many fishers.

LPSPL-Sorong team conducted a public consultation on Kolepom Island MPA establishment at Yeraha Village, Tabonji District, Merauke, Indonesia. Photo by: LPSPL-Sorong

The soon-to-be-developed MPA Management and Zoning Plan will be useful, not only for Kolepom Island, but also for Papua Province on a larger scale. As the zoning plan will provide the foundation for Kolepom Island MPA management, it will also feed to the Papua Provincial Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), which is now in an on-going development process. Integration of Kolepom Island MPA Zoning Plan to Papua Provincial MSP will ensure high levels of protection for significant areas of the MPA while allowing sustainable use and better ecological connectivity within Papua Province.

For the next step, the ATSEA-2 project will support the Task Force to carry out field assessment activities to refine data and key information as a basis for the development of the Kolepom Island MPA Management and zoning Plan.

View of Yeraha Village, Tabonji District, Merauke, Indonesia Photo by: LPSPL-Sorong

About the ATSEA-2 Project

ATSEA-2 is the second phase of the Arafura & Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Programme and a regional partnership involving the Governments of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea with the support of the Australian Government in order to collectively manage high marine and fisheries resources in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS). The ATSEA-2 Programme started in 2019 and aims to promote sustainable development in the ATS region to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants through restoration, conservation and sustainable management of marine-coastal ecosystem as one of the areas with highest productivity in the region to ensure the implementation of integrated concept, sustainable, and prosperity of the coastal people in transboundary area. ATSEA-2 is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project and managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as implementing partner and Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility (PRF) as executing partner.

To know more about the project please contact the Project Manager, Handoko Susanto (hasusanto@pemsea.org) and visit the project page on iwlearn.net and the project website.