Indonesia and World Tourism News

Indonesia Protects Marine Areas

A vast 900,000 hectares of water are newly protected in the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat.

This month, Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Mr. Freddy Numberi formalized traditional community efforts to safeguard marine life when he announced the creation of a network of seven marine protected areas (MPAs) encompassing the region’s diverse coral reefs, mangrove forests, and other coastal ecosystems.

The ground-breaking declaration is built on years of collaboration among local communities and non-governmental organizations, including Conservation International (CI), to better protect Raja Ampat and the broader Bird’s Head Seascape.

The announcement brings the Indonesian government significantly closer to its goal of protecting 10 million hectares of coastal marine ecosystems by 2010, and allows CI to fully meet its own objective to help establish 20 MPAs by that same year.

Community-Led and Co-Managed Effort
Communities of Raja Ampat have long made their livings in harmony with the sea. Recently, though, fishermen using destructive fishing methods entered the region. Now fish stocks are decreasing and coral reefs increasingly show signs of damage from human impact.

In 2003, representatives of Raja Ampat’s 88 traditional communities decided to work with CI, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and others to reverse negative trends. Together, they fostered a better understanding of how restrictions on commercial and destructive fishing can improve human welfare and conserve biodiversity. In November and December 2006, these communities held a series of traditional ceremonies signifying their intent to establish large-scale MPAs. The Indonesian government officially declared those MPAs this month.

“The communities have really taken the lead in creating these new MPAs,” said Mark Erdmann, CI regional coordinator for the Bird’s Head Seascape .

“We’ve repeatedly witnessed tear-jerking speeches from older fishermen about how easy it used to be to fill a canoe with fish, and how outside fishers using commercial fishing gears and destructive practices have now greatly reduced their fishing opportunities,” he added. “They look forward to trying to return things to the way they were.”

Under the new designation, communities and local government will co-manage the MPAs. Communities also will help to patrol the area and curb practices like bomb and cyanide fishing, which kill reefs and indiscriminately strip them of fish stocks. The waters will be protected in keeping with longstanding tribal customs that call for traditional resource extraction closures known as sasi.

“We are strongly committed to working with the traditional communities to ensure that these MPAs reach their true potential,” said CI-Indonesia Marine Director Ketut Putra.

Richest Seascape on Earth
Raja Ampat and the broader Bird’s Head Seascape are among the most stunning and biologically diverse places on Earth.

Recent marine research has helped local communities prove why Raja Ampat’s waters are worth protecting. A series of biological surveys led by CI and TNC in the past four years have revealed that Bird’s Head is home to nearly 1,300 species of coral reef fishes and 600 species of hard coral – the highest marine biodiversity level recorded for an area this size anywhere on the planet. In 2006, more than 50 previously unknown species of shrimp, coral, and reef fish were discovered – including two kinds of “walking” epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium spp.).

Much of this biodiversity is believed to exist nowhere else on the planet.

“Finding new species like the ‘walking’ shark demonstrates why the Bird’s Head is so important,” says Sebastian Troëng, CI’s director of regional marine strategies. “Our surveys highlight the need to conserve priority marine areas before they are degraded by overexploitation.”

Providing Science to Inform Government Decisions
CI and partners have made a well-informed case for protecting Raja Ampat to governments and local communities. At a December 2006 meeting with the Minister of Marine Affairs, CI-Indonesia Vice President Jatna Supriatna, Marine Director Ketut Sarjana Putra, and CI Chairman and CEO Peter Seligmann urged the national and regional governments to focus on sustainable development rather than pursuing the short-term economic benefits of open-pit mining. They also emphasized the need for law enforcement in Raja Ampat’s new MPAs.

The Minister echoed these concerns during his announcement, urging the government to forego further mining activities and focus instead on sustainable fisheries and marine tourism development. Mining and logging threaten to increase erosion and sedimentation and degrade water quality, which in turn, kill coral reefs and fish populations to the detriment of traditional fishing villages.

In a series of panel discussions facilitated by CI earlier this month, the leader, or Bupati, of Raja Ampat signed two Memoranda of Understanding with neighboring regencies to jointly develop marine tourism and work cooperatively to eliminate destructive fishing practices in the region.

Kate Barrett, Staff Writer
Conservation International

Add comment May 31st, 2007

Handicraft industry bounces back

Amid all the destruction and loss of life caused by last year’s Java earthquake, one often overlooked casualty was Yogyakarta’s handicraft industry.

But a year after the May 27 quake, which devastated Yogyakarta and parts of Central Java, the industry is beginning to bounce back.

“After the quake, the wood used to make primitive-style statues was gone. And if there was any available, it was too expensive,” said Bandiyah, 45, who crafts Pucung primitive-style statues in Pendowoharjo village in Sewon district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

Following the quake, many handicraft makers were unable to restart production because there was no timber on the market, having all been channeled into reconstruction work.

Bandiyah said in the weeks and months after the quake, a cubic meter of teakwood branches with a diameter of about 10 cm cost Rp 800,000, a 100 percent increase from the previous price of Rp 400,000.

“Even the prices of other materials like glue and nails rose dramatically, meaning most handicraft makers could not start production.”

But in the past two months, with most reconstruction work already finished, the handicraft industry has started to bounce back.

Bandiyah said that of around 35 statue-makers in Pucung hamlet, half have restarted production. Most of their output is destined for export markets in Australia and Europe.

The owner of Ungu gallery, Aji, said that despite the rising prices of materials, he had resisted passing on the costs to his buyers from Australia, Germany, Poland and Sweden.

“This means the profit is not much …. but it’s better than doing nothing,” said Aji.

He said before the quake his gallery exported three containers of statues a month, but that is now down to one.

Prices depend on statue size, with a 15-cm statue selling for Rp 40,000, up to Rp 150,000 for a two-meter statue.

After months of idleness, there is a new buzz at many of the handicraft production centers in Yogyakarta. These include the ceramic production center in Panjangrejo village in Pundong district, a leather production center in Mading and a wooden batik handicraft center in Krebet.

“Most handicraft businesses have restarted production, even if they are only using the simplest of tools,” said Sakir, one of about 200 ceramic makers in Panjangrejo village.

The area’s handicraft businesses were also helped by sympathetic buyers who understood the situation and pushed back delivery deadlines rather than cancel orders. Some buyers even put in larger orders, to help the businesses get back on their feet.

“We have been given time to meet orders because of the quake, and some buyers even increased their orders,” said Hendro Seno, a bag maker from Gilangharjo village in Bantul.

According to data from the provincial trade, industry and cooperatives office, the earthquake affected 2,650 small and medium businesses.

The result of this can be seen in last year’s exports from the province, which amounted to US$126 million, down from $143 million in 2005.

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Add comment May 31st, 2007

Int’l textile expo to help boost industry

SEMARANG: The Semarang International Garment and Textile Accessories Exhibition 2007 is underway at the Central Java Recreation and Development Promotion Center in Semarang from May 23-26, featuring various sophisticated textile machines and the latest textile products from 14 countries.

The expo, with 117 participating companies representing 14 countries including China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Switzerland, Taiwan and the U.S., is expected to generate US$20 million in business deals and transactions.

The same event held in West Java once recorded deals worth $50 million.

According to Central Java Industry and Trade Office head Abdul Sulhadi, the exhibition is part of the province’s endeavor to facilitate restructuring of the local textile industry.

Central Java is in need of updated textile machinery to enhance its competitiveness against foreign-made fabrics. Of the 74,943 textile manufacturers operating in 21 areas, including the major production centers of Solo, Semarang, Pekalongan, Tegal, Sragen, Jepara and Kudus, 70 percent still use 15- to 25-year-old equipment.

“With outdated apparatus, our productivity is falling. We won’t be able to penetrate the tight competition on the global market. Banking circles even call Central Java’s textile factories a ’sunset’ industry,” said Sulhadi.

– Jakarta Post / Suherdjoko

Add comment May 31st, 2007