18 Feb Towards a Competent Conservationist: Marine Protected Area Management Assessment

Since 2020, preparing qualified staff in the management of Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Indonesia has been a five-year national target. To realize this objective, CTC as one of official Competency Assessment Centers in the country, conducted an online assessment and test of 25 MPA personnel from Bali, Maluku and North Maluku for their competences at various levels.

The overall process took place online on February 16 -18, 2022  led by five examiners from CTC and the Marine and Fisheries Professional Certification Institute (LSP-KP). Participants came from various institutions such as the department of marine affairs and fisheries at provincial level in Maluku and North Maluku and non-governmental organizations, including CTC’s own staff. They have been involved in the management of some newly established MPAs in eastern Indonesia such as the Buano islands, Lease islands and Ay-Rhun islands in Maluku, and Sula islands in North Maluku.

Participants were assessed differently based on three levels of competence in the MPA management planning, namely the operator, technician and expert groups. Out of the total number, 20 participants (80%) were in the operator group, 2 participants (8%) were technicians and 3 participants (12%) took the expert competency test. Prior to the test, a one-day refreshing course was given on February 14 to provide a chance for participants to recall knowledge and skills related to the topics covered in each competency unit.
To be successfully certified as competent, the MPA personnel at operator level must pass five basic competency units such as principles of MPA, ecology of coastal ecosystem, education in MPA, fisheries in MPA and the preliminary preparation for MPA planning. For MPA personnel at technician level, the competency units assessed include law enforcement in MPA, problems prioritization and statement formulation, MPA management strategy and planning of MPA monitoring. Lastly, an MPA expert is expected to pass advanced competency units such as the concept of an effective MPA management planning and preparing MPA management plan document.

Based on the results of the assessment, the assessor team gave the competent recommendations to 24 participants. Therefore, these 24 competent MPA personnel received an official certificate from the National Agency for Professional Certification (BNSP) in Indonesia which is good for the next three years. Participants can renew the certificate by retaking the assessment at already recommended level or upgrade it by taking a higher-level assessment.

At national level, Indonesia requires a minimum of 664 competent MPA personnel by 2024. This figure appeared from a collaborative data study conducted by the Directorate of Marine Conservation and Biodiversity (Dit. KKHL) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), CTC and the Training Center and Marine and Fisheries Extension (Pulsatluh) of the MMAF back in 2020. Unfortunately, in the same year, there were only 171 certified MPA personnel who mostly working in eastern Indonesia.
This year, Indonesia is in the second phase of the Roadmap of MPA Personnel Capacity Building 2020-2024 by providing competency-based curriculum and modules, as well as competency standardization at national level to ensure the fulfilment of a medium condition. Nevertheless, CTC has contributed to the preparation of all these essential documents and is committed to continue overseeing the process of the national target achievement.