Good news just came from the Nusa Penida MPA in Bali. A recent assessment, conducted by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) has shown that Nusa Penida MPA’s management effectiveness has reached the “silver” level, meaning that it is “optimally managed.”

This assessment was conducted in July 2021 by the national EVIKA assessment team, in collaboration with key institutions that share the responsibility of managing the Nusa Penida MPA. These organizations include the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Department of Bali Province, Bali MPA Management Unit, BPSPL Denpasar, and CTC. The assessment was designed to understand the effectiveness of the MPA’s input (i.e. area status, zoning and management plans, etc.), process (i.e. management SOP, resource monitoring, etc.), output (i.e. threats, compliance level, etc.) and outcome (i.e. conservation target conditions, community participation, etc.).

For the input criterion, Nusa Penida received a score of  725 out of 1,075 (67.4%). The MPA also scored 335 of 430 points  (77.9%) for process and 415 of 650 points (63.8%) for output, and  120 of 620 points (19.3%) for outcome. These scores as a composite yielded a silver level for the MPA, indicating that it has been optimally managed.

The EVIKA assessment team also provided some recommendations to increase the management effectiveness score of the Nusa Penida MPA. These suggestions included: 

• Establish the MPA boundary marker and publish it in the national maritime map
• Conduct competency assessment for Nusa Penida MPA management unit staff 
• Improve the biophysics and socio-economic data monitoring and strengthen multisectoral coordination and budgeting 

CTC is committed to continue the facilitation and implementation of the EVIKA assessment requirements in collaboration among key stakeholders and governmental institutions in Nusa Penida MPA.

This is the first time that the Nusa Penida MPA has been assessed using the EVIKA tool, which was adopted by the MMAF in 2020 to replace its previous MPA effectiveness assessment tool,  EKKP3K. Under the EVIKA tool, the results are classified into three categories: bronze for scores below 50%, silver scores ranging from 50% to 85%, and gold for scores above 85%. The bronze result means that the conservation area is managed at a minimum level, where the designs and management of the area are being carried out at a basic level, but more efforts are still required to meet the higher-level objectives. The silver result means that the conservation area is managed optimally, the management functions adaptively, and several objectives have been met. Finally, the gold result means that the conservation area is managed in a sustainable manner and the benefits of the conservation area are felt by the wider community.

Photos by Freepik