Ten marine conservation champions across Indonesia and the Coral Triangle region were recognized at the first ever Ocean Legacy Awards on November 29, 2019.

CTC organized the Awards to honor those that have made significant contributions to achieving its vision of “Healthy Seas that Enrich People and Nature”. The awardees were recognized during CTC’s 10th anniversary gala celebration on November 29, 2019 in Sanur, Bali.

The awardees were marine scientist Dr. Gede Hendrawan; woman leader Dinah Yunitawati; businesswoman Ade Waworuntu; community leader Wempie Dirk Parinussa; environmental organizations Roman Luan Foundation from Timor Leste, STT Tri Budhi Yasa, and BaliWISE from Indonesia; media organizations Kompas and Mongabay; and Lyris Lyssens, who won the youth-based Ocean Legacy Photo Challenge.

The awardees were chosen for exhibiting excellence, integrity, and commitment in advancing marine conservation across all levels. They also support local stewardship in marine conservation programs and work to empower local communities in managing their resources. They foster collaboration and partnerships across sectors in shaping innovative solutions to spread awareness and education about marine conservation to the wider public. Their work has produced results that lead to lasting outcomes and have had a long-term impact on marine conservation across the region.

“The Ocean Legacy Awards aims to shine a spotlight on outstanding individuals and groups in the hope that they may inspire others to do the same for the oceans. We at CTC, believe everyone has a role to play in protecting our oceans, and the life they support. Since 2010, CTC has worked with individuals, schools, communities, companies and governments, making it our mission to inspire and train generations to care for coastal and marine ecosystems across the epicenter of marine biodiversity,” said CTC Executive Director Rili Djohani.

Special awards were also given to CTC’s co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, George Tahija. He co-founded CTC and embraced the organization’s vision to establish a dedicated foundation in Indonesia focused on building capacity in marine conservation. In his exceptional 10 year tenure as CTC’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, his passion for nature and people guided CTC to be strongly rooted locally, but with a regional scope of work and a mission of global significance.

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) Indonesia was also given a special award for being at the forefront of protecting Indonesia and the Coral Triangle’s marine biodiversity through the establishment of 20 million hectares of MPAs by 2020, and aiming to reach 30 million hectares of MPAs by 2030.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr Suseno Sukoyono, Special Adviser to the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, noted that organizations like CTC are needed to develop capacity in marine resource management.  “I believe in and support CTC because of their focus on people in managing coral reefs. I have supported CTC from the start and have seen them grow from strength to strength,” he noted. Dr Sukoyono has been supporting CTC since our inception, and we were honored to have him speak at the event.

“In 2010, we started with five people and supported 20,000 hectares of marine protected area. By mid 2019, we have protected 387,000 hectares of critical marine habitats in seven sites, developed 26 training modules, conducted close to 230 training sessions and trained over 5,000 people. Through our learning network we have developed the capacity and connected with 200 local government executives, 300 women leaders, and 500 marine protected area (MPA) managers and practitioners,” Ms. Djohani said.

She also noted that the organization has engaged more than 10,000 people through its Center for Marine Conservation in Sanur, Bali. “With the support of our partners and colleagues, and utilizing lessons learned in the last ten years, we are looking forward to our next defining decade in preserving the Coral Triangle for future generations,” she said.

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Awardee Bios

Dr. Gede Hendrawan, PhD – a leading Indonesian marine scientist who has published several studies on the impact of human activities on oceans, most notably he has studied the effect of microplastics on marine megafauna like manta rays in Bali’s Nusa Penida MPA. Dr Hendrawan is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries at Udayana University and leads the Laboratory for Marine Computation and the Marine and Coastal Environment Study Group.

Dinah Yunitawati – an emerging woman leader and the founder of Banda Aware, a conservation project that aims to reduce coral and beach sand mining in the Banda Islands by applying community-based approaches. Banda Aware is part of the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reef, Food and Fisheries (CTI-CFF) Women Leaders Forum. Ms. Yunitawati is currently a staff at the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, in the Directorate of Marine Spatial Planning. She is also a part-time lecturer at the University of Trisakti, teaching coastal planning.

Wempie Dirk Parinussa – known as one of the key persons in marine conservation in Central Maluku, for leading several environmental initiatives in his community. Since 2003, he has been the Raja, or traditional leader, of Ameth Village in Nusalaut in the Lease Islands. In 2017, he became part of the Pejuang Laut, or Champions of the Sea, program implemented by CTC under the USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) Project and has set up local rules that prohibit sand and coral mining, mangrove trimming, and sea turtle and shark hunting in his area.

Ade Waworuntu – owner of Jenngala, a leading ceramics company based in Bali. Under her leadership, Jenggala strives to balance business with social responsibility and environmental sustainability by creating a community of creative people who care about inspiring others to live their life as art. Through Ms Waworuntu’s guidance, Jenggala collaborated with CTC in crafting the monumental ceramic art installation Semesta Terumbu Karang – Coral Universe, which is now the centerpiece of CTC’s Center for Marine Conservation.

Roman Luan Foundation (ROLU) – an independent, non-profit community organization registered with Timor Leste’s NGO Forum. ROLU is an initiative by Ataúro Island’s community leaders to provide community ownership and control over key local assets. In 2017, ROLU began its collaboration with CTC to support the development of the Ataúro Island MPA, which connects all community-based marine conservation projects into one zoning and management system.

BaliWISE – established in 2012 as part of the ROLE Foundation, BaliWISE aims to empower marginalized and at-risk girls and young women by increasing their access to employment. To meet this objective, BaliWISE developed a training program for women identified as at-risk due to their level of poverty.  The opportunity for BaliWISE students to have an education and to raise themselves and their families out of poverty benefits graduates, their communities and Indonesia.

Sekaa Teruna Teruni Tri Budhi Yasa – a youth organization in Banjar Kelod, Nusa Lembongan. The group is raising awareness in the community on the impact of plastics on the environment by organizing monthly village and coastal cleanups, providing gallons of free drinking water to reduce the use of plastic cups and plastic bottles during village events, such as the Indonesian Independence Day celebrations. The group also held a manta ray themed kite competition to highlight the dangers facing these incredible creatures, and encourage villagers to care for Nusa Lembongan’s charismatic marine animals.

Kompas – the largest national Indonesian language newspaper in the country, has been consistently covering marine and ocean issues in an in depth manner.

Mongabay – a non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform that aims to raise awareness about social and environmental issues through in-depth news reporting and analysis, as well as environmental education materials.

Lyris Lyssens – Ever since her first scuba diving experience and encounter with a manta ray in 2015, Lyris has had a vocation to contribute to the world of marine conservation. She has a Masters Degree in Sustainable Tourism Planning from Montpellier, France. She is current an artist and illustrator based in Bali.