Twenty university and government researchers and coastal planners from Indonesia have attended a two-week intensive workshop in Queensland, Australia, to learn the latest in marine spatial planning to help them manage their reef fisheries and biodiversity. The joint workshop, held at The University of Queensland with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, is part of CCRES’s training plan to share the tools and outcomes of the project with key stakeholders.
Oceanography lecturer Indra Budi Prasetyawan at Diponegoro University in central Java who attended the workshop said he was looking forward to sharing what he learnt with others responsible for Marine Protected Area (MPA) design in Indonesia when he returned.
“All the software that I have learnt and used here, and the knowledge I have gained will support my work,” said Indra. “I will also share it with others who are responsible for MPA design.”
Workshop attendees were introduced to a number of CCRES researchers who showed them a range of CCRES tools from the Rebuilding Reef Fisheries with Core Zones Toolbox, including the MPA design tool developed as MARXAN software that aids systematic reserve design for conservation outcomes.
The course also covered the use of MPAs for conservation and fisheries management on coral reefs and understanding how decisions on the size of local MPAs can help balance biodiversity conservation, short-term fishery impacts and long-term fishery benefits.
Another participant, Wilmy Etwil Pelle from Sam Ratulangi University, North Sulawesi, added she wished the course was longer so they could spend more time on the various topics to learn even more. Wilmy is a researcher and lecturer in the Faculty of Fishery and Marine Science and teaches subjects including biodiversity and conservation.
“All the lectures were interesting,” said Wilmy. “I just wish the course was longer so we could have learnt more.”
She added that she would be keen to start a local project with local partners to look at how the knowledge could be applied in coastal areas in eastern Indonesia.
“Some of my colleagues are working with mapping and some are not, but perhaps together we could discuss opportunities to see if a project would be possible,” she added.
The workshop also explored methods to optimise the connectivity of MPAs through fish larval dispersal and how to create, analyse and manipulate spatial data sets.
Both Indra and Wilmy said they would be keen to attend future CCRES training should the opportunity arise again.
CCRES researchers who presented at the workshop included Agung Wahyudi (spatial data and ArcGIS), Ruben Venegas (basic MPA design using Marxan), Nils Krueck (basic to advanced MPA design), Abdi Priyanto (coral reef vulnerability prediction), and Tom Baldock (coastal protection).
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Nils Krueck
