Earlier this year, CTC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Seattle Aquarium to facilitate collaborative learning in various areas related to our shared mission to inspire marine conservation.

Under the MOU, the Seattle Aquarium will support the effective management of the Nusa Penida Marine Protected area by: improving effectiveness of the Nusa Penida MPA, especially developing a plan for increasing compliance and enforcement;  supporting research and monitoring at the Nusa Penida MPA, especially in evaluating existing monitoring protocols, conducting a tourist carrying capacity study, and developing a community science program; and  improving outreach and engagement, especially in training naturalist guides at the mangrove center at Nusa Penida.

The Seattle Aquarium will also support the training of CTC staff in visitor management; and developing CTC’s Center for Marine Conservation staff skills in visitor engagement. In the last few months, the Seattle Aquarium has shared with us general notes and resources on designing educational exhibits, developing a volunteer program, and strategies for reopening our Center for Marine Conservation in the “new normal” presented by the ongoing pandemic. We look forward to sharing with the Seattle Aquarium how we conduct outreach through artwork classes with families at our Center, traditional puppet shows in communities with our Wayang Samudra, and fun games like our marine-themed escape rooms. We will also be collaborating on engaging and connecting women leaders in coastal and marine conservation programs.

Opened in 1977, the Seattle Aquarium was owned and operated by the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation until 2010, when the nonprofit Seattle Aquarium Society assumed its management. The Seattle Aquarium operates as a nonprofit 501c3, through a long-term operating agreement with the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. Their mission Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, is reflected in everything they do—from exhibits, events, conservation and education programs, research activities. The Seattle Aquarium is the ninth largest aquarium in the U.S. by attendance and has hosted over 27 million visitors and provided marine conservation education to two million school children.

Photo credit by CTC