24 Nov Improving Local Capacities for MPA Surveillance in Nusa Penida

Knowing what happens at sea is essential for marine resource protection from any potential threats. Therefore, a solid coordination and awareness among community members who devote themselves to safeguard the ocean should be then top-listed. Recently, CTC visited Suana Village in Nusa Penida to train 17 members of the Buana Jaya surveillance group (Pokmaswas) to enhance their knowledge and skills in marine conservation.

The intensive training took place on 24-27 November 2021 with three days of in-class activities and a full-day field trip. It was also attended by 13 participants from the Technical Implementing Unit of the Bali Marine Protected Area (UPT KKP Bali), rounding it up to 30 participants in total with 26 men (87%) and four women (13%).

Enthusiast participants were exposed to packed training modules consisting of the basic introduction to marine and coastal ecosystems, principles of marine protected areas (MPA), marine surveillance and methodologies on data collection and resource use monitoring. Interactive discussions throughout sessions enabled participants to comprehend training materials and align them with their hands-on experiences.

“I really enjoy the training and appreciate the way CTC delivered it. We have received basic skills about monitoring activities from local governments in the past, but this training is giving more information and skills to us. For example, I now know how to speak to fishers about the MPA zoning system while doing the area monitoring,” said I Ketut Mudra Asmara, the head of Buana Jaya Pokmaswas in Suana.

In delivering the training, CTC received support from UPT KKP Bali and the Benoa Marine and Fisheries Resources Monitoring Base (PSDKP Benoa), especially during the field exercise. CTC ensures that the knowledge transfer happened accordingly so that the Buana Jaya Pokmaswas will be able to conduct their own resource use monitoring activity in the future. A few collaborative follow-ups with the UPT KKP Bali and PSDKP Benoa will be made in 2022 to smoothen the
transition process. Furthermore, CTC through the implementation of the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program – Coral Triangle Initiative (COREMAP-CTI) project will continue assisting the Nusa Penida MPA to achieve an 80% blue level in management effectiveness. The improvement of this management effectiveness status will be pursued by developing an ecosystem-based approach to resources management and promoting sustainable marine livelihoods. The COREMAP-CTI is an 18-month project that started in April 2021 and ends in September 2022.

To date, CTC has completed the inception data collection and analysis, detailed engineering designs on mangrove tracks, a surveillance post and bird watching tower, site identification for seaweed cultivation and mangrove and coral reef rehabilitation, community training, and identification of lessons learned and best practices for the project. As for the MPA itself, CTC has shown its support since 2008 in the form of conducting annual reef health and resource use monitoring surveys and working with private sectors and local communities to promote sustainable marine tourism.

Located off the southeast coast of Bali, the Nusa Penida MPA covers an area of 20,057 hectares. The MPA consists of a group of three islands, namely Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It is also known as home to 296 species of coral and 576 species of reef fish, including the charismatic manta rays and Mola (sunfish). (*)

Photos by Yoga Putra/CTC

 

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