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Cover and Back Cover Photoscopyright © TelapakPhotographersHapsoro, M. Imran Amin, M. Taufik Wahab, Rama Dian Bakti dan Ridzki R SigitDesignTELAPAK dan Matoa Creative DesignTranslatorsAzyana Sunkar dan A. Ruwindrijarto and Mardi MinangsariEditorArifuddin, Hapsoro, Mardi Minangsari dan Ridzki R. SigitWritersM. Imran Amin, M. Taufik Wahab, Nanang Sujana

AcknowledgementTELAPAK would like to express its gratitude to thefollowing organizations and individuals for theirassistance and time in working together and discussingthe substantial development of the report, while stressingthat the content of the report is the sole responsibility ofTelapak:

Yascita Kendari, YARI-Kendari, YBN-Bali, LakpesdamMakassar, FDC-IPB, Department of Marine Affairs andFisheries, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Service of SESulawesi , YLL Medan, HIVLAK- Tual, Asprida-Ruteng, I Wayan Patut, The local communities of BajoIndah-Kendari, Les-Bali, Sembilan Islands-SouthSulawesi, Wakatobi-SE Sulawesi, Kukusan- LabuanBajo, Thousand Islands, Jaring PELA, INCoM andPT Bahtera LEStari.

Telapak would also like to thank all the communitygroups, NGOs, and individuals who have worked withTELAPAK on the issues of destructive fishing and coralreef, whose name cannot be written one by one.

Telapak would also like to thank The David and LucillePackard Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund fortheir kind support in Marine Monitoring Program(ProMOLA) of TELAPAK, which makes it possible forthis book to be published.

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Contents

9

11

14

21

27

32

39

46

© Telapak

Promising Coral Reef

Threats to Coral ReefsDestruction

The Toxic Sea of the Island ofthe Gods

Bajo Indah, Poverty Leadingto Disaster

Toxic on the Eastern Sea

Ponggawa, Juragan and Sawiin Sembilan Island

Intergenerational and NatureElements Equity

Telapak and Coastal andMarine Management Policies

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The Buried Pearl

When the red sun risen over the eastern horizonSounds of crickets fadingThe Islanders are on their boatSailing knitting waves

Fragments of coral reefsCovering the yellow sand granulesCarpeted with sea grassCrowned with colorful sea creatures

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Redite, 22 June 2003I Wayan Patut

Photographer : M. Imran Amin/TelapakLocation : Makasar - South Sulawesi

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Preface

If you spend a few days on Bokori Island � Kendari, for example, then you will be familiar with thesound of blast fishing which the local people do to catch fish every day. Or perhaps you want to visit

the coral reefs in the eastern Indonesian waters, then you will notice several boats equipped withcompressors supplying oxygen to the divers who are busy spraying cyanide on fishes hiding inside and

between the reefs. The above two examples show how destructive fishing still occurs unhindered.The same activities unfortunately have been practiced elsewhere in Indonesia. In fact, field data shows

that more than 50% of reef fish production (both for consumption and ornamental purposes) iscaught using these destructive techniques. It has been five decades since this problem first arose and it

keeps going on unabated with even increasing intensity,

These practices not only destruct the fish habitat but also serve as a breeding ground for corruption,collusion and nepotism for several law enforcers. It is general knowledge to the fishermen that

the immorality of our law enforcers is one factor why such problem is difficult to handle.The monitoring and enforcement operations carried out are in fact become the means to blackmailthe fishermen involved in destructive fishing, which in this case do not tackle the problem but further

stimulate such practice, because the fishermen feel that all matters are handled just by paying offthe officers.

Meanwhile, the conditions of the coral reefs are degrading. In several areas, harvests are declining andpoverty is increasing. More children are dropping out of school.

Do we want this condition to continue?

Results from several assistance activities carried out by Telapak and its partners show that governmentefforts to solve the problem of destructive fishing have not yet touch the root of the problem itself. On

the contrary, they are stimulating new opportunities to increase such activities. Legal measures takenperceive the fish catching actors as potential source of money. Even if they were arrested, only few thatwould actually go to court. While on the other hand, the fishermen themselves feel there are no other

alternative livelihoods. What these fishermen need is an opportunity to an alternative source of incomeby placing them as objects of reform and not as money resource or objects that must be destroyed.Under the current system, jail is not the main solution to the problem. Community approach and

assistance that will give them opportunities to reform is the best way to solve this problem.

This book talks about lessons learned from Telapak�s field experiences from 1999 � 2004 in compilingdata and developing collaborative learning process with the fishermen who are actors in destructive

fishing in several regions in Indonesia.

Bogor, June 2004

M. Imran AminProgram Coordinator

PROMOLA - TELAPAK

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© Telapak

Destructive Fishing is the root problem of coralreef ecosystem destruction in Indonesia.Five main human threats to coral reefs, i.e.:

toxic fishing, blast fishing, coral reef extraction,sedimentation and pollution, and over fishingalthough the later does not directly destruct thecoral reefs.1

Indonesia�s 17,000 islands forms the world�s largestarchipelago with more than 95,000 kilometers of coastline andsome 51,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, excluding thosenot yet mapped, located in isolated places as well as those indeeper sea. If the estimation is correct, that means Indonesiais home to 51% of Southeast Asia�s coral reefs and 18% of theworld�s coral reefs.2

The coral reefs in western Indonesia are severelythreatened by human activities compared to those in the east.This is supported by field facts of a 1990-1998 survey thatrevealed a better condition of coral reefs from west to east.The reefs in the western part of Indonesia with good or verygood condition (more than 50% live corals coverage) coveronly about 23%, while those in the east cover about 45%.3

Over the next 20 years, the economic loss from blast andcyanide fishing may reach US$ 570 million and US$ 46million respectively.4

Telapak in collaboration with several local NGOs, hasconducted field surveys that found many practices of blast andcyanide fishing. Furthermore, Telapak working together withthe local communities tries to find better solutions to moreenvironmentally friendly fishing techniques.

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PromisingCoral Reef

© Telapak

Indonesian fishermen have exploited coralreefs for a long time. Experts stated thatevery square kilometer of coral reef can

yield up to 20,000 � 35,000 tonnes of fishannually, estimated to give livelihood to 400-700 people.5 Indonesian coral reefs areestimated to have a value of US$ 5,800 perhectare.6

In tropical countries such as Indonesia, the coral reefecosystem is closely related to the general marineresources. The ecosystem indirectly functions as abuffer in coastal abrasion and is the habitat for manyeconomically significant marine biota and also serves asspawning, nursery and feeding ground. Marineproducts are also source of protein for manyIndonesians.

Indonesian coral reefs are potential source ofnational income as export commodities throughconsumption fish, ornamental fish, shell skins,seaweeds, nature-based marine tourism and traditionalmedicines. The total value can amount to US$ 466million. Especially for ornamental fish, its exportreaches a value of US$ 32 million annually.5

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Threats toCoral ReefsDestruction

© Telapak

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Even with its potentials and great benefits,the ecosystem faces serious threats. Oneof them is destructive fishing such as

cyanide fishing. Several cyanide applications tocertain reef colony have proved to bedestructive to the reef survival.2

Meanwhile, there is a close relationship betweendestructive fishing and the fishermen�s low economiclevel. The needs to catch more fish and increase familyincome are several reasons why the fishermen takeshort cut of using toxics to catch more fish. There hasbeen a transformation in fish catching system in severalplaces in Indonesia from traditional means, which areenvironmentally friendly, to destructive fishing.

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Introduction to Cyanide

Development of Cyanide Fishing in Indonesia

Cyanide fishing was introduced as one method of catching reef fish since early1980s. At that time, the Philippine fishermen started to enter Indonesian waters tolook for ornamental fish not found in their country. They began their operation inNorth Sulawesi by introducing and teaching the local fishermen about using cyanide.From here, this method of destructive fishing has spread to other parts of Indonesiain line with declining harvest and increasing international market demandsespecially from Europe and the US. Furthermore, at the end of 1980s, thistechnique has also been used on consumption fish due to increasing demands fromChina and Taiwan.

Reef fishing using toxics such as organo-phosphate insectice, quinaldine,ichtyocide rotenone and cyanide has long been known.7

Sodium cyanide �one kind of cyanide used�is a kind of toxic in the formof salt that has been used world wide, especially in fumigation, electroplatingand mining. The misuse of this chemical in fisheries started around 1960s inthe Philippine, where at the time, there was an increase demand for ornamentalfish from European and American markets.7

Among the toxic chemicals, cyanide is the most popular in live coral fishcatching. Cyanide is mixed with seawater and poured into plastic spray bottle.When the fish are inside the holes between the corals or coral branch, cyanideis then sprayed on the target fish. Cyanide causes fast anesthetization leadingto dizziness causing the fish to swim out from its hiding places, thus they caneasily be caught.8

Cyanide fishing causes the break down of the fish enzyme system asoxygen metabolizer (cytochrome oxidase) and psychological function of thefish and invertebrates. Cyanide also causes damages in liver network, spleen,heart and brain of fish.9 Cyanide fishing is believed to have caused the death ofmore than 80% of exported ornamental fish.

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Cyanide is easily found at local stores such as at dealer shops and chemical stores,with local average price of Rp 40,000 � Rp 50,000 per kilogram.

Telapak�s investigation in 1998-2002revealed that there are at least 80% ofornamental fish and 50% of consumptionfish experience death at the collection siteand during transportation.

Other than having direct impact ontarget fish, sprayed cyanide has destructiveimpact on the surrounding ecosystem andkills many juvenile fishes and othersmaller marine biota. This results in massbleaching of coral reefs resulting in death.Coral�s death due to cyanide spray is verydifferent from those due to drastic watertemperature change. One spray of cyanide(about 20 cc) can kill a total of 5 x 5 squaremeters of coral reefs within 3 � 6months.10

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the Islandthe Islandthe Islandthe Islandthe Islandof the Godsof the Godsof the Godsof the Godsof the Gods

The Toxic Sea of

© YBN - TelapakLocation : Les Beach - Bali

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Bali is nationally and internationally well recognized in thetourism industry. In fact the international world is morefamiliar with Bali than Indonesia itself. Bali is also famous as

the Island of the Gods due to its beautiful scenery and uniquetraditions. However, Telapak with the local NGOs recognized that thehigh number of tourists and the good accessibility of the island are notable to compensate for the coral reef destruction rate in thesurrounding waters. Bali, in fact, is well known as an island producingornamental and consumption fish.

1616161616Photographer : M. Taufik Wahab/TelapakLocation : Les Beach - Bali

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The vast overseas demands for ornamental fish haspushed the start of fishing practice through fishanesthetization using cyanide which was introduced by thefishermen from Banyuwangi, East Java. They introduce thisdestructive method of fishing in several areas in Bali andalso become the actors in cyanide fishing along with theircoworkers from madura and Lombok. As a result, the Balifishermen who previously never applied cyanide are nowusing it. In several areas in the District of Buleleng, such asin the waters near Bali Barat National Park and in the SubDistrict of Tejakula, many cyanide fishing were found due tohigh market demands.

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The availability of internationalairport seems to influence the highdemands for ornamental andconsumption fish from Bali. Thisisland is also known as the gateway forornamental and consumption fish fromother parts in eastern Indonesia forexport purposes. This is supported bythe fact that there is an increasingnumber of ornamental andconsumption fish exporters in Bali. Upto the year of 2000, there were at least50 � 60 legal and illegal exporters inBali while a decade ago there were onlyfive (Fisheries Service and BaliQuarantine).

Cyanide fishing also occurs withinconservation areas. The water of theBali Barat National Park on the west tipof Bali is known as one of the placeswhere reef extraction and blast fishingtake place. A collaborative observationbetween Telapak and the local NGOs,suggests that cyanide fishing is practicedon several fishermen villages aroundthe Park, i.e.: Gilimanuk, BanyuwedangBay, Terima Bay, Lumpur Bay andPemuteran. The cyanide that they usecan easily be bought from constructionshops at the nearest town (Singaraja).The high number of cyanide users canalso be identified by the high number of

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live fish collectors forconsumption andornamental fish. InGilimanuk Village thereare as many as 30collectors and in SumberKima Village up to 50-70people. Most of the catchfrom these villages arethen transported toDenpasar and Banyuwangifor export.

Especially in theDistrict of Buleleng, thesepractices of destructivefishing have made thelocal fishermen disregardtheir customary law. Thehigh demands forornamental andconsumption fish havemade them turned todestructive fishing,whereas in fact, this areawas previously known asan area that highly valuescustomary law andperceives the sea as a �holyplace� that must beprotected. This hasoccurred at least in theSub-Districts of Gerokgak, Buleleng andTejakula (see more informations aboutTejakula in page 41). In fact, the localinvestors are able to give easy access tofishing and basic diving equipments tothe fishermen. With these facilities,

the investors are able to press thebuying price of the fish. In year 2000,in the Sub-District of Tejakula, a liveornamental or consumption fish can bebought for only Rp 500 � Rp 2,000each.

2020202020Photographer : M. Imran Amin/TelapakLocation : Bajo Indah - Southeast Sulawesi

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Bajo IndahBajo IndahBajo IndahBajo IndahBajo Indah,,,,,poverty leading to disaster

Bajo Indah is the name of a villagelocated on the coast of SoutheastSulawesi, in the Sub-District of Soropia,within the District of Kendari. Thisvillage is one of the poor villages in thisprovince. Most of the fishermen comefrom Bajo ethnic group who rely onfishing as their main source of livelihoodas fisherman labor and fish collector.

Historically, the Local Governmentrelocated this village from its originalplace in Bokori Island � a small island inKendari Bay. The migration of theBokori people to this new place causedcontroversy, because the island wasturned into a tourist island. As a result,the local people who are traditionalfishermen can no longer utilize

2222222222Photographer : M. Taufik Wahab/TelapakLocation : Bajo Indah - Southeast Sulawesi

... poverty caused the Bajo Indah people to doeverything they can to get out of poverty,

including the practice of cyanide fishing ...

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© Telapak - FDCLocation : Thousand Island National Park

the surrounding marine resourcesanymore. Poverty caused the Bajo Indahpeople to do everything they can to getout of poverty, including the practice ofcyanide fishing.

The local people were introduced tocyanide fishing in 1991 when some ofthe local fishermen worked onboard livefish ship from Hongkong. When theseships stopped operating in the waters ofKendari, the fishermen continued suchpractice. It has been going on even untilnow (only one group of them has already

transformed to a better way of catching),causing the coral reef in Kendari Bay tobe further damaged. It is now moredifficult to get fish in surrounding waterscompared to the first time when thetechnique was applied.

Cyanide fishermen have broadenedtheir fishing ground to faraway placessuch as the Wakatobi waters in the tipof Southeast Sulawesi and Banggaiwaters in Central Sulawesi. They haveto spend two days to one week on thesea to catch fish.

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2626262626Photographer : Ridzki R. Sigit/TelapakLocation : Sembilan Island - South Sulawesi

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Toxic onthe Eastern Sea

The waters of eastern Indonesia are heaven for fish. The Islands of Malukuare well known as an area with abundant marine resources, as well as arecognized marine tourism destination. Through collaboration with the

local NGOs and fishermen communities in Maluku, Telapak has conducted severalinvestigations on cyanide fishing on several islands in the Southeast Maluku � nowknown as West Southeast Maluku. This group of at least 24 islands has long beenknown as one of the producing sites for fish and other marine products in Maluku.Together with a local NGO in Tual, Telapak focus their investigation andmonitoring activities in Kei Island and Luang Island in the southwest of SoutheastMaluku.

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The high biodiversity along with anumber of reef islands in SoutheastMaluku, have become very attractive forthe local as well as overseas investors.The existence of many big fisheriescompanies and the operations of foreignfishing ships are very common inSoutheast Maluku. Unfortunately, thepresence of these investors brings somenegative impacts on the marineconservation and the economy of

the local traditional fishermen. Most ofthe fishing companies practice fishingtechniques that are not environmentallyfriendly. Trawl, bomb and cyanide areused in customary fishing ground of thelocal fishermen. For the fishermen,cyanide fishing has direct impacts on thequantity and quality of sea harvest, suchas coral reef destruction and death ofseaweeds and shells, while for most ofthe women, sea products are beyond fish.

Kei Island, communities opposition

to cyanideCyanide fishing has been practiced in

Kei Island since the establishment ofMina Sanega Company in 1990, whichwas then followed by the establishmentof local companies. It was a big issue

then, when the local NGOs togetherwith the communities opposed to suchpractices through the traditionalinstitutions, got the attention from localgovernment. Unfortunately, the issue of

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1 Petuanan is a natural resources management area ruled by the local customary law, which includes bothland and sea

cyanide fishing wasforgotten when there was amass riot at the end of1999.

In Dulla Laut Island oralso known as Duroa,cyanide fishing has resultedin the horizontal conflictbetween the traditionalfishermen. The decliningsea harvest due to this kindof fishing technique hasmade them enter the petuanan1 belongto other fishermen community. Thelocal fishermen who use this destructivemethod confessed that they wereexpelled or captured by other fishermencommunity whose petuanan has beentrespassed.

The local government has takensome measures to combat destructivefishing through enforcement operations.Unfortunately, the necessaryprosecutions rarely follow suchoperations. While on field, divers usingcyanide have changed their method of

diving to prevent thearrest duringenforcementoperation. Those usingcompressor forbreathing aid, nowturn to traditionaldiving technique, i.e.without compressor.This method isespecially applied onareas that can still bereached by divingwithout breathing aidsequipments.

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© Telapak - FDCLocation : Thousand Island National Park

Equipments in Cyanide Fishing

Adjacent to Dulla Laut, is Kei KecilIsland, where cyanide fishing has alsoexperienced some transformation.Previously the activity took place in theafternoon but currently it occurs at nightwith the help of speedboat, compressorand diving torch. These night divers are

suspected to work for a live fish bossnamed Hans Sitaneli. Thistransformation of fish catching is due toan increasing community awareness toprotect the surrounding coral reefs byapplying sasi 2with secure control andmonitoring.

Fishermen get cyanide either by purchasing or supplied by the investors.Most of these toxic chemicals are in the form of tablets. The cyanide tabletis then dissolved with sea water after being crushed. This crushed cyanideis inserted into a small container filled with sea water at certain volume.This solution is placed into a sprayed bottle that will be carried by divers tocatch fish.

Generally, traditional cyanide fishermen always use:! Simple diving equipments consisting of diving mask, dive weights and fins.! Breathing aid equipments: regulator, hose (can reach 40 m), and

compressor located on a boat or ship.! Fishing equipments consisting of: cyanide spray bottle, small fish scoop,

and closed bucket for fish collection! Temporary fish collection site on board the boat or fishing ship.

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Luang Island,institutional change for a toxic live fish industry

2 Sasi is a customary law in Maluku, which regulate the management of natural resources, especially marineproducts and coconuts. A person found violating Sasi would be punished.

Luang Island is located at the tip ofsouthwest of Southeast Maluku. Itsremote location makes it and othersurrounding smaller islands almost freefrom control. Because this cluster ofislands produces the greatest sea harvestin Southeast Maluku, therefore it isnot surprising that Luang Island wasonce used as operating area from twofishery companies that collect fish fromcyanide fishing. One of the industrieseven manages to rename its industryunder the same operation control.

These two fishery companies are PT.Dinamika Bahari Sejahtera (DBS) andCV. Sari Manis. They were driven outof the island due to a conflict with thelocal communities, although they hadapproached the local village institutionsand traditional chiefs when they firstarrived. Coral reef destruction in thetraditional fishing ground and thepromise of village infrastructuredevelopment that never been granted,have caused an opposition from the localcommunities together with some localNGOs and students from Luang Islandto drive both companies out of theisland. Although CV. Sari Manis triedto make a come back under a new name,

CV. Rimraya Indah. However, thedamage done could not stop the localopposition, which again forced the newcompany to get out from Luang Island.

Currently, a local named Jack Mirucarries out live fish company in LuangIsland. In carrying out his business, heworks together with fish trader fromTual named Riky Tamnge. Based on theconfession of the local communities, thislocal company offers a higher price thanthe previous three companies.Nevertheless, this cannot be regarded asbetter condition. Even until now, it isdifficult to detect whether a fisherycompany uses cyanide or not in itsoperation. Therefore monitoring andcontrol are still necessary because thismarine area is very vulnerable todestructive fishing industries.

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Ponggawa,Juragan and Sawi inSembilan Island

Ponggawa,Juragan and Sawi inSembilan Island

3 33 33 33 33 3Photographer : Ridzki R. Sigit/Telapak

Location : Sembilan Island - South Sulawesi

... found a connection between the practice of cyanide fishing andthe local social structure. Generally, the social structure consists ofPonggawa, Juragan and Sawi ...

3434343434Photographer : M. Imran Amin/TelapakLocation : Coral Reef area in Wakatobi Archipelago - Southeast Sulawesi

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3 Sembilan Archipelago consists of Kantidoang, Larea-rea, La Poi-Poi, Kanalo, Batanglampe, Kodingare,Kambuno, Leang-Leang and Burung Loe Islands.

Ponggawa, Juragan and Sawi

On the southwest water of South Sulawesi, there is a cluster ofsmall islands known as the Sembilan Island. It consists of ninesmaller islands, in accordance with its name that is adopted

from Bugis dialect.3 With its unique characteristics, the surroundingwaters offer a wealth in marine resources. Sembilan Islands encompassvast coral reef areas, which makes it as one of the production center forreef fish, sea cucumber and lobster.

Together with a localNGO in Makassar,Telapak has conductedmonitoring activities oncyanide fishing activitiesin Sembilan Islands.The monitoring activityis focused on KambunoIsland, which is locatedin the center of the

islands and functions asthe capital of the sub-district.

Most of the people inSembilan Islands rely onthe marine resources fortheir subsistence andlivelihood. Especiallyfor Kambuno Island,most of the fishermen

have long beenpracticing divingtechnique to catch fish,a technique that oftenuse to catch reef fish.This practice-like thoseobserved by Telapak inother places- is closelyrelated to cyanidefishing.

Ponggawa is an investor in fishing industry in Kambuno. He gives support in the formof capital, supplies necessary equipments and other equipments needed for fishcatching. He also supplies packaging as well as other supporting materials includingfish collecting place (karamba � basket for raising fish).

Juragan is a name for the captain of the fishing boat. He has full responsibility tocarry the fishermen to reach target location and bringing home fish harvest to thecollection site. After arrival in the collection site, juragan is also responsible for writingdown his catch.

Sawi is a name for fihermen labour. Generally, sawi are also part of diver team. Insidea fishing boat, there are about 4-5 sawis.

For overall catch, there is usually a simple mechanism for profit distribution as follows:! 25% of overall catch will go to the investors to replace operational costs.! 75% of overall catch will be evenly divided among ponggawa, juragam and sawi.

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In KambunoIsland, Telapak withits local NGO partnerfound a connectionbetween the practiceof cyanide fishing andthe local socialstructure. Generally,the social structureconsists of Ponggawa,Juragan and Sawi.From the threestructural positions,Ponggawa holds asignificant role inevery catching activityin Kambuno.Ponggawa is theinvestor for everyfishing activity, such asboat/ship, compressor,diving equipments andoperational capital.While Juragan and Sawiare regarded as lower

positions because theyare only field operators.Juragan is the ship�scaptain and Sawi issomeone who works inthe ship/diver.

The biggest portion ofthe profit obviously goesto Ponggawa, while Sawihas the least profit. Veryoften Sawis must bear thedirect impact of thisfishing activity.Generally, Sawis areoften in overdue debts toPonggawa and suffer thedirect risks of diving.Information collected byTelapak and its localNGO partner found thatthere were at least 200sawi divers who sufferedillness due to diving usingcompressor.

3838383838Photographer : M. Taufik Wahab/TelapakLocation : Les Beach - Bali

........ main activities carried out by Telapak, which is atranslation of its vision to crease a just natural resources

management.....

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Intergenerationaland Nature ElementsEquity

Intergenerationaland Nature ElementsEquity

4040404040Photographer : M. Imran Amin/TelapakLocation : Sembilan Island - South Sulawesi

The problems of Indonesian coral reef ecosystem degradation andtheir direct impacts on the livelihood of the local fishermen, hasstimulate Telapak, as a Non Government Organization in

environment, to do some improvement efforts. Since it was firstestablished, Telapak has carried out many improvement efforts forIndonesian marine and coasts beginning with the monitoring of cyanidefishing in several places across Indonesia in 1998. These monitoringactivities are carried out in collaboration with the local NGOs. Inpractice, Telapak uses the method of investigation in carrying out itsmonitoring activities on cyanide fishing. This collaborative monitoringinitiative developed by Telapak has resulted in a coordinated networkof NGOs for marine and coastal issues (PELA Net). Telapak itselfdevelops a monitoring program in destructive fishing known asProMOLA (Marine Monitoring Program).

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For the next step, still in collaboration with local NGOsin several places, Telapak has also done various fieldassistances to cyanide users as part of Telapak�s initiative toensure better fish catching activities from the lowest level.Telapak has also been facilitating in opening marketopportunities for cyanide-free fish through a number oftrainings for traditional fishermen. Telapak believes thatthe only way there will ever be any change is by transformingthe actors of such practice into the main actors leading thereform.

Follows are some main activities carried out by Telapak,which is a translation of its vision to crease a just naturalresources management, both for intergeneration and natureelements.

Cyanide- Free OrnamentalFish from Les Village

In collaboration with Bahtera Nusantara Foundation(YBN), Telapak has been doing almost all of its overallprograms for a better coastal and marine management inLes Village located in theSub-District of Tejakula-Bali. At the start of theprogram, Telapak and YBNinitiated monitoringactivities on cyanide reeffishing. As the next step,through communityapproach, Telapak/YBNhas assisted the traditionalfishermen to alter theirfishing technique. Otherfield activities include:training on cyanide-freefishing, ornamental fishhandling, and ornamentalfish products marketing.

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... the localtraditionalfishermen agreedto form a group ofcyanide-freefishermen bythe name of MinaBhakti Soansari ...

In 2001, the localtraditional fishermenagreed to form a group ofcyanide-free fishermen bythe name of Mina BhaktiSoansari. Telapak/YBNhas facilitated thisfishermen group to docoral transplantation torestore the coral reefconditions which havebeen degraded. Currently,Mina Bhakti Soansari isable to develop anecotourism activity incollaboration with a diveoperator tour inDenpasar. Furthermore,this group has also startedmarketing cyanide-freeornamental fish

independently byestablishing an exportcompany in ornamentalfish by the name of PT.Bahtera LEStari. Thecompany has managed todo its first export in 2003.

This development hasmade the Les fishermenknown to the privatesectors, local and centralgovernment, eveninternational institutions.However, this is not theend of a success. Thestrength of the localpeople has become themain pre-requisite so thatthey can have firmbargaining power to dealwith new things

introduced to them.Therefore they will not beeasily persuaded bynumerous opportunitiesthat sometimes are not inline with their needs andexpectations.

TowardsIntegratedCoastal andMarineManagementin SembilanIslands

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Similar to other places,Telapak has recognizedSembilan Islands throughactivity such as monitoringof cyanide fishing. Incollaboration with BLPMLakpesdam, a local NGOin Makassar, Telapakstarted field assistanceactivities and organizingthe local cyanide user.

Telapak/Lakpesdamhas also facilitated thevisits of traditionalfishermen from LesVillage in Bali to thisisland as a media to shareexperiences among thefishermen who once werecyanide users. It isexpected that the localfishermen would learn

the cost-benefit of cyanidefishing. There is also anopportunity forcooperation in the futurebetween the twofishermen groups. Thisway, there is at least aneffort to manage marineresources independently.

Telapak/Lakpesdamhas also conductedt ra in ings inenvironmentally friendlyfishing techniques in thisisland. This activity beganin December 2003 andhas received positivefeedbacks from the localcommunities.

Following suchactivities of reorganization,fishermen visit, andtraining of environmentallyfriendly fishing techniques,Telapak/Lakpesdam hasalso facilitated coraltransplantation by thelocal fishermen toimprove coral reefecosystem condition,which in the near futurewill be followed byfacilitating IntegratedCoastal and Small IslandManagement involvingevery stakeholder in theSembilan Islands.

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PT. Bahtera LEStari Profile

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PT Bahtera Lestari is a main intervention in ornamental fish industry that is a successful example of acollaborative initiative between: 1. Bahtera Nusantara Foundation, an NGO located in Denpasar- Baliestablished in 1999, 2. PROMOLA, an NGOs networking group for destructive fishing issues in Indonesia,started since 1998 and coordinated by Telapak, an NGO located in Bogor, and 3. �Coral Reef Restorationand Establishment of Sustainable, Community-Based Ornamental Fish Business� funded by GEF-SGP,started in June 2002.

PT. Bahtera LEStari integrates several objectives and interests of the stakeholders of ornamental fishingindustry. Its main concern is to facilitate the needs and interests of Les Village communities that are involvedin the industry, represented by the fishermen group of ornamental fish, Mina Bhakti Soansari . Theobjectives of PT. Bahtera Lestari in line with the objectives of the fishermen group are as follows:1. To improve the welfare of the local ornamental fish fishermen2. To provide a legal basis for community-based ornamental fish business, and3. To preserve the marine ecosystem especially coral reefs.

PT Bahtera LEStari offers a unique position because it supports the involvement of all the stakeholdersbetween fishermen communities and the local leaders in Les Village. The establishment of this company wasdone through several meetings and social works among the fishermen, fish collectors (juragan), villagechiefs, local leaders, village administrators, NGOs activists, business experts and consultants. As a result, itwas then decided to establish an ornamental fish exporter company, the company holdings as well as itsbusiness plan. The legal process took place in December 2002 through a notary public, John K. Mulya, inDenpasar (Notarial Document No.: 105, dated 19 December 2002). This company is also complementedwith Tax Obligatory Number (NPWP:02.217.737.2-903.000) on January 27, 2003.

PT Bahtera LEStari works in three different fields: ornamental fish exporter, marine ecotourism, andmanagement consultant for coastal and marine management. These three fields were developed based onthe strength of the company in managing coast and marine resources, as well as its strength of being acommunity-based company.

Ornamental Fish IndustryThe fishermen in LES village are very important ornamental fish producers in Indonesia. There are at

least 30 companies of ornamental fish exporters in Bali that are all dependent on the fish supply from morethan 100 fishermen in LES village. This shows one of the strength of PT Bahtera LEStari in their productioncapacity. The fishermen in LES village collect ornamental fish from their surrounding waters as well as inother areas in Sulawesi, Lombok, Bima and Flores. These various collection sites have assured theposition of PT. Bahtera LEStari as an important ornamental fish exporter due to its access to different types ofornamental fish. PT. Bahtera LEStari is currently in the process of expanding its network to otherornamental fish fishermen by replicating the model developed in LES village. This is an elegant approach toassure a sustainable supply of fish to the company, if for any reasons, the LES fishermen were not able tosupply enough fish. In every fishing place, PT. Bahtera LSEtari has developed a community basedmanagement system, where it develops fishing area, prohibited fishing area and rehabilitation area, alongwith monitoring and enforcement of local policies. This is one of the company�s objectives to produce fishcatch from a healthy and a healthier coral reef ecosystem. PT. Bahtera LEStari is the first export company

4545454545Photographer : Ridzki R. Sigit/Telapak

Location : Kendari - Southeast Sulawesi

that produces cyanide-free ornamental fish, which have not been followed by other companies. It has amission of producing only environmental friendly products, fish from areas that are well managed, accordingto international standard of fishing. PT. Bahtera LEStari achieved this objective after two years of research,planning, training, and business development. This initiative was taken based on the fact that cyanidefishing- which obviously has negative impacts on the environment - still dominating fish catching techniquesin Indonesia and other areas in Asia-Pacific. The system developed by PT. Bahtera LEStari has contributedto lessen the pressure on the marine ecosystem and make better profits economically.

&telapakCoastaland MarineManagement Policies

photos : © Telapak

Photographer : M. Imran Amin/TelapakLocation : Rinca Archipelago - Flores

... the establishment of strong fishermen organizations isexpected to broaden fishermen participation in local andnational coastal and marine policies ...

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© Telapak

Since it was first established,Telapak has been active in doingconcerted efforts towards a just

marine resource management. Thecurrent unjust management of marineresources occurs due to lack of integratedpolicies, which should be built on theinvolvement of all the stakeholdersespecially the local communities who relyon the presence of the resources. Thepresent policies are only concerned withgaining biggest profits for certain groups.There is no overarching policy forcoastal and marine resourcesmanagement in Indonesia. As a result,marine resources exploitation has gonevery intensively without consideration

for a just and sustainable management.This has long become the main concernsand focus of Telapak�s work in policyadvocacy.

Together with government and otherNGOs in Indonesia, Telapak rolled outthe discourse to set up governance thatwill place marine issues as crucial issues.The presence of a specific departmentin charge of marine affairs and fisheriesis one of its concrete suggestions. Thiswas taken into action by thegovernment when AbdurrahmanWahid (Gus Dur) was the president,through the establishment of theDepartment for Marine Affairs andFisheries.

Change in the coastal and marinemanagement policies

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© Telapak

© Telapak

... Together withgovernment and otherNGOs in Indonesia,Telapak rolled out thediscourse to set upgovernance that willplace marine issues ascrucial issues ...

Nevertheless, this political will ofthe government would mean nothingwithout the support of some legalmeasures in the forms of regulationsand policies. Telapak has beenassisting the new department andmonitoring the process of developingnew policies to assure that the processis transparent and participative andthe policies will not derail from its

ultimate goal, which is a just marineresources management. In doing so,Telapak in collaboration with otherNGO network for marine issues(PELA Net) and Indigenous PeopleAlliance of the Archipelago (AMAN)have conducted public consultationprocess for the legal measuresdeveloped in every province inIndonesia.

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© Telapak

Development of CBCRM-ICM in IndonesiaCommunity-Based Coastal Resources

Management (CBCRM) and IntegratedCoastal Management (ICM) have beenpromoted as the best choice for tacklingproblems related to coastal areas. Oneof the necessary activities in theframework of CBCRM-ICM is a seriesof trainings for field implementation.

Since 1999, Telapak in collaborationwith several stakeholders fromgovernment (DKP and Bappedal),universities (PKSPL-IPB) and NGOs(PELA, PUTER, TNC, Terangi, andPesut Foundation) have developed atraining program on ICM to

stakeholders in various areas to allowthem to have understanding and abilityto carry out an integrated management.This training involves the localcommunities as planners andorganizers. To date, this program hasconducted five trainings followed by thedevelopment of a simple plan on coastaland marine management in areasincluding: the District of Sumenep,Sembilan Island Sub-District in SouthSulawesi, Tejakula Sub-District in Bali,Penajam Sub-District in EastKalimantan and Bojonegoro Sub-District in Banten.

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© Telapak

One of the necessaryactivities in theframework ofCBCRM-ICM is aseries of trainings forfield implementation.

Extending Participation of Fishermenin Coastal and Marine Policies

Lessons learned fromworking withcommunities on coastaland marine issues havebrought Telapak tofurther facilitate publicparticipation on theseissues. Within the lastthree years, Telapak hasinitiated and developed amovement of fishermento fight for their survivaland needs. This is basedon the understanding thata change in the fishermenlives could only beachieved if the fishermen

themselves were able tosurvive on their own andnot dependent on othergroups. Telapak has beenworking on this throughits own program activitiesas well as network, such asthe PELA Net andIndonesian People�sForum (IPF). Theestablishment of strongfishermen organizationsis expected to broadenfishermen participationin local and nationalcoastal and marinepolicies.

© Telapak

© Telapak

© Telapak

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