Marine Protected Area (MPA) management effectiveness is the degree to which an MPA has achieved its goals and objectives.  Some of the indicators of MPA management effectiveness are good governance, positive ecological impacts and improvement in the area’s socio-economic and cultural conditions.

To ensure good governance in an MPA, management protocols need to be established and enforced such as conducting regular patrols and surveillance to ensure that the MPA zoning system is implemented and enforced properly.

This year, CTC in collaboration with the Bali MPA Management Unit, with the support of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and the Seattle Aquarium, has compiled and helped finalize the surveillance protocol for the Nusa Penida MPA. This protocol will serve as a guideline in carrying out surveillance activities in Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The process of making the surveillance protocol lasted from April until October 2020 and was carried out through virtual discussions and a series of meetings with various stakeholders to get appropriate input and improvements.

In October 2020, the Nusa Penida MPA Surveillance Protocol was accepted and signed by the Head of the Marine and Fisheries Agency of Bali Province and has become an official protocol in carrying out surveillance activities in the Nusa Penida MPA.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, regular surveillance patrols in the Nusa Penida MPA were suspended from April to July. Regular surveillance patrols resumed in August, but as of October, no MPA zoning violators had been found.  The surveillance patrol team only noted fishing, seaweed farming and research activities which were all done in their designated MPA zoning areas. They also noted the absence of activities in previously crowded popular areas such as Crystal Bay, Mangrove, and the Toyapakeh core zone.  This was in contrast to the results of the surveillance activities conducted from January to March 2020, wherein several violations were recorded from diving or snorkeling tourism boats in the Toyapakeh core zone.

CTC continues to support the Bali MPA Management Unit in conducting regular surveillance patrols and ensuring that the new protocols are followed and implemented.