Among the biggest challenges of realizing sustainable marine and fisheries resource management in Indonesia is the availability of qualified and capable human capital.

In an effort to address this gap, CTC has signed an agreement with the of Research and Human Resources for Marine and Fisheries Body (BRSDM) at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) of the Republic of Indonesia to provide support for personnel capacity-building activities at the national level for the next five years. The agreement signing took place in mid-April 2021 and to date, CTC and BRSDM MMAF have finalized a shared working plan for training implementation related to marine conservation and sustainable fisheries. In addition to the capacity-building activities, the agreement also covers the implementation of competency assessments, involvement in the marine occupational design, development of competency-based modules, and the establishment of a learning network for practitioners, training alumni and other marine professionals. The collaboration between CTC and the BRSDM MMAF itself has been going on for years. In 2012, CTC was designated as an Independent Marine and Fisheries Training Center (P2MKP) by  MMAF through the head of the BPSDM Decree No. 82 of 2012.

The provision was then updated in 2019 and valid for another three years. Other collaborations that have also been carried out include the preparation of modules, such as the Design of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Monitoring of Resource Utilization, Perception Monitoring, Biophysical Monitoring and Marine Tourism. In total, 209 trainings were conducted in 12 provinces in Indonesia by CTC and BRSDM MMAF, reaching 4,644 participants, dominated by government staff and community representatives. Based on the type, the trainings were delivered in two formats, namely full training (with a minimum 24 hours of training/3 days) and short course (less than 24 hours/1-2 days). To adapt with the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia, training nowadays can be done face-to-face by strictly adhering to national health protocols, online through the CTC Academy platform, or blended, which is a combination of face-to-face and online methods.

Since 2018, some trainings have included sustainable fisheries and leadership with the main target of helping sustainable fisheries management at the provincial and national levels. At the provincial level, for example, CTC is currently supporting Lampung Province through trainings for the Committee for Sustainable Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Management (KPPRB) on good fisheries governance and leadership. Moreover, CTC also held a blue carbon training for policy makers at the national level in 2019. The activity started with the development of curriculum and modules targeted for regional use in the Coral Triangle. The current agreement between CTC and BRSDM MMAF is valid until 2026 with a regular monitoring and evaluation phase in every semester. Through this renewed collaboration, it is hoped that the institutional and personnel capacity in managing MPAs and sustainable fisheries in Indonesia can grow and that Indonesia’s MPA Vision 2030 can be achieved.

Photos: Agustin Capriati and D.B Mochran/CTC