Jakarta (Greeners) – Climate change impacts on coral reefs marked by massive bleaching resulting to vanishing thousands of fish species and other organisms, along with threats to ecosystem and marine related livelihood.

To save coral reefs, Ministry of Marine and Fisheries (Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan/KKP) have been campaigning, provide assistance to reduce people’s activities in the sea, and expanding coral reefs conservation areas.

“For the coral reef protection program, we have included coral reef conservation development which targeted 20 million hectares by 2020 but for 2018-2019, they need to achieve the target as instructed by Minister Susi. Currently, the number reaches up to 19.17 million hectares,” said Director of Conservation and Marine Biodiversity, Andi Rusandi, in Jakarta, on Thursday (22/2).

READ ALSO: Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs To Finalize National Strategic Zoning Plans in 2018

Conservation areas being announced and managed, said Rusandi, were recommendations from scientists, local government and ministry. These areas must get approval from KKP.

Currently, coral reef conservation areas are spread into 172 locations with a total of 19.17 million hectares, such as Sabu Raijua of East Nusa Tenggara, Anambas in Riau islands, Banda and Aru of Maluku.

READ ALSO: Avoid Overlapping Authorities in Conservation Law

Based on LIPI data, Indonesia’s coral reef areas cover a total of 2,517,858 hectares, — Bali with 8,837 hectares, Java with 67,869 hectares, Kalimantan with 119,304 hectares, Maluku with 439,110 hectares, Nusa Tenggara with 272,123 hectares, Papua with 269,402 hectares, Sulawesi with 862,627 hectares and Sumatra with 478,857 hectares –.

“Coral reef with excellent condition is 6.3 percent while bad condition is 63 percent. If there’s no coral reef management, this condition will continue to decline,” he said.

Furthermore, he said that lack of campaign was one of the obstacle in coral reef conservation. As result, conservation areas is considered as exclusive areas with less benefit to local people. Local government, he added, does not fully understood about conservation areas.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Following recent boat crash on Raja Ampat coral reef, Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (Kehati) set up a trust fund focusing on sea patrol and people empowerment, said an activist, in Jakarta, on Monday (20/3).

Since 2004, Raja Ampat had inspired the establishment of multi-partner conservation initiative by Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which aim to protect Bird’s Head Seascape (BLKB).

“We are designing funding scheme but it will be focusing on sea patrol security funding and people’s empowerment for economic improvement,” said MS Sembiring, executive director of Kehati.

BLKB comprises of 2,500 islands and home to 75 percent of world’s coral reefs with Raja Ampat has more than 225,000 square meters.

Sembiring said that the hit was valuable lesson learned as it would take long time to restore the coral reefs.

READ ALSO: Indonesian Government Prepares Legal Instrument To Charge Caledonian Sky

The fund, dubbed as Blue Abadi Trust Fund, aim to manage 38 million dollar with Kehati is trusted as the administrator. The foundation is cooperating with other conservation agencies, such as CI, TNC and WWF.

Currently, 12 marine conservation areas have become the support for protection and preservation managed by regional service agency (BLUD). The initiative is actively encouraging and empowering people as main actors for sustainable marine management.

Furthermore, Sembiring said Caledonian Sky case should be an indicator for on-going improvement and asked all stakeholders and agencies working in marine tourism sectors to continuously evaluate and set up restoration plans.

“How much we loss from the hit compare to the yacht’s income. We need to underline that there should be an agreement from all stakeholders on special management on touristic site considered as high conservation value such as in Raja Ampat,” he said.

READ ALSO: Government Set Up Team To Investigate British Yacht Crashed in Raja Ampat Coral Reefs

Arif Havas Oegroseno, deputy of maritime security of coordinating ministry of maritime affairs, said that his office would review visitors’ access to Raja Ampat conservation areas following the incident to prevent more destruction.

“There are two prevention. The first, review access on the area which will be submitted to minister of marine affairs and fisheries,” said Oegroseno. “Second, ministry of transportation will follow up on the review.”

Based on Ministry of Environment and Forestry data, coral reefs hit by the yacht covered 13,552 square meter, divided into two types, — 13.4 meter times 22.8 meter cracked reefs and long break resulted from the sliding which reached to 50 meters.

“So, the total of 13,522 square meters and it is predicted 20 years to return damaged coral reefs to grow back. The data is important for coordination among government agencies. Hence, government’s data and evidence presented are strong,” said Karliansyah, a senior official at Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – A legal instrument to enforce coral reefs damages by MV Caledonian Sky yacht was being prepared by the government team, said Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, in Jakarta, on Monday (20/3).

Minister Siti said that the government will be using two laws, on environmental management and protection issued in 2009 and ecosystem and natural resources conservation issued in 1990.

In addition, the government will be using the United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) as it involved foreign ship hit coral reefs in Indonesian waters. However, the law can only applied if the ship’s origin also members of UNCLOS.

“Meanwhile, if the government wants to claim compensation, we are told to use criminal acts juncto 1990 Law and 1990 law to get civil charges,” she said.

READ ALSO: Government Set Up Team To Investigate British Yacht Crashed in Raja Ampat Coral Reefs

Brahmantya Satyamurti, director general of marine spatial planning, ministry of marine affairs and fisheries, said that the government will start its investigation and file charges as there were coral damages in several locations.

The damages include declining quality of coral reefs biodiversity which qualified as criminal charges.

“As a result of that hit, coral reefs were damaged. At a minimum, there was negligence from the captain to be able to be processed as criminal charge. Investigators will be from the ministry or the police,” said Satyamurti. “The ministry and Raja Ampat government can also file compensation to MV Caledonian Sky and Noble Caledonian company.”

Furthermore, he said that the yacht had violated several regulations in Indonesia, including the 2009 environmental law, the 2004 law on fisheries, and 2001 Ministerial Regulation on coral reefs criteria.

On March 3, MV Caledonia Sky with 79 crews and 102 passengers aboard hit coral reefs in Manswar island of Meos Manswar, Raja Ampat district, just after midnight.

READ ALSO: Two Ministries Collaborate on Developing Marine Tourism

Initial assumption, the hit was caused because the captain only monitored GPS and radar without calculating natural condition meanwhile its position was not in line with shallow water topography.

The yacht was managed to be pulled after waiting for high tide. However, it caused physical damage to 1600 square meters of coral reef.

A team of government agencies, including ministry of marine affairs and fisheries, coordinating ministry of maritime issues, ministry of environment and forestry, ministry of transportation, ministry of tourism, ministry of legal and human rights, district attorney and police, will be assessing damages of coral reefs and the legal aspects.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Nusa Dua (Greeners) – Nearly 90 percent of world’s coral reefs would be gone by 2050 which poses threats for millions of people in developing countries.

To prevent the disastrous event, philanthropic organization, government, nongovernmental organization, scientists, conservationists launched a global plan to save coral reefs from climate change, pollution and bad fishing practices.

The movement, dubbed as 50Reefs, was launched at the second day of The Economist : World Ocean Summit 2017, in Bali, on Friday (24/2).

Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberf of University of Queensland said that the movement would be the first global plan to save the most vulnerable biodiversity ecosystem in the planet.

“Coral reefs criteria for 50Reefs will be announced by the end of this year,” said Prof Hoegh-Guldberf. “In the future, the movement will increase awareness on climate change impacts to oceans. Eventually, we would come up with investment strategy needed to protect coral reefs.”

READ ALSO: Less Fish Catch Increases Food Security

Furthermore, he said that climate change impacts on coral reefs can be seen through massive bleaching resulted from increasing sea temperature.

Scientists predict that coral reefs ecosystem could be vanished in 30 years, which included the loss of thousands of fishes and other important organisms.

The loss of coral reefs will eventually pose threat to humans, especially livelihoods related to marine and fisheries.

Over-fishing, coastal development and pollution also threatening coral reefs. In several places, the ecosystem was already completely destroyed. In addition, climate change put more burden on the destruction but now was placed as the number one threat for coral reefs.

“Coral reefs are important but without us knowing, they are struggling to fight against extinction,” he said.

READ ALSO: UNEA-2 Supports Indonesia’s Sustainable Coral Reef Management

Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, in a recorded message, said that people was starting to think about climate change, they think about extreme heat, storms, and forest fires. However, not much people know or even care about the impacts on oceans.

“It happens because we couldn’t see the impacts in the lands. But, without coral reefs, we would lose a quarter of world’s biodiversity and hundreds of millions poor people will lose their source of food and livelihood,” said Bloomberg.

Based on new report from World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) 2015, coral reefs hold conservative value of one trillion dollar which generates at least 300-400 billion dollars per year in food and livelihood from tourism, fisheries and medicines.

The 50Reefs is initiated by The Ocean Agency and Global Change Institute of University of Queenslands and collaborating with Google and XL Catlin, which conducted a comprehensive global survey on coral reefs and bleaching.

The survey was the subject of a documentary, Chasing Coral, which was the winner of Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival 2017. The documentary soon to be released at Netflix.

Reports by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Indonesia succeeded in pushing forward sustainable coastal reef management to be included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda at UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-2), held on May 23-27, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries’ expert staff for society and interdepartment relations, Suseno Sukoyono, said that positive incomes managed to be brought by Indonesia from the meetings. Indonesia, Sukoyono added, has fully support from international world on developing and managing sustainable coral reef.

“It is our success when Indonesia has managed to address a resolution on this international meeting,” he said in Jakarta, on Thursday (2/6).

Furthermore, he said that the success gave hope for coral reef protection in the world and Indonesia, specifically as the country is home for 14 percent of world’s coral reef population. In addition, Indonesia is also home to 82 out of 84 genuses of world’s coral reefs.

Apart from excessive exploitation, natural factor and climate change, plastic waste thrown in the ocean, also threaten coral reefs.

To tackle these issues, Laksmi Dewanti, Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s expert staff for Industry and Commerce, said that waste and plastic issues of the oceans were also becoming one of the concerns resulted to become one of the resolution, along with coral reef management.

“Plastic waste has become world’s issues because 15 percent of waste thrown into the ocean has cause parts of coral reef ecosystem covered in plastics,” said Dewanti.

To support maritime sovereignty and to achieve the target for Indonesia as Home of Coral Reef, the government will be developing education center for coral reef. The center, dubbed as Coral Triangle Information and Learning Center (CTI Learning Center), will be built in Manado of North Sulawesi province.

Meanwhile, secretary general at the marine affairs and fisheries ministry, who is also acting director general of marine spatial planning, Sjarief Widjaja, said that the building inauguration marked the start of Regional Secretariat Coral Triangle Initiative Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) activities.

“The building will be the heart of operational to achieve targets of CTI-CFF and other activities to protect coral reefs, coastal fisheries, and other marine resources,” he added.

Reports by Danny Kosasih