27 Mar Understanding Fishing Communities’ Knowledge to Protect and Sustain Marine Resources

CTC successfully conducted the second phase of a perception survey about marine conservation and sustainable fisheries under the full support of USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) Project in North Maluku Province, Indonesia, from February 27 to March 17, 2017. Similar to the pilot held in Maluku before, this activity covered three districts in North Maluku with the most prominent potential in marine resources and conservations, namely South Halmahera, Morotai Island and Sula Islands. There were 137 respondents participated in the survey representing the local governments, community members.

Since 2016, the Government of Indonesia has decided to improve the fisheries sector in North Maluku by providing better facilitation for local fishermen to increase their catch amount. As it starts to bring positive impacts on coastal community’s livelihood, there are also grassroots’ needs to keep the good practices sustained for next generations. However, the lack of information has prevented the community from getting sufficient knowledge on how to address these challenges. These concerns were revealed during the perception survey.

By participating in the survey, the respondents were able to recognize the types of information needed to have a better understanding and knowledge to protect the sea, as well as the preferred communication channels to meet the needs. The survey result analysis will contribute to the development of environmental education programs that are responsive to the needs of local communities. The desired outcomes at the end of the program are empowered and knowledgeable communities in keeping the sustainability of marine resources.

The five-year USAID SEA Project provides support for the Government of Indonesia in marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management in three adjacent provinces in eastern Indonesia, namely Maluku, North Maluku and West Papua which lie within the Indonesian Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 715. The project is being implemented by Tetra Tech, CTC and other partners such as WWF and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). (Photos by Yoga Putra/CTC)