April 27, 2016
Banner photo by James Morgan Photography
eastern indonesia, indonesia, james morgan photography, kei kecil, maluku province, marine conservation, marine parks, raja ampat
Multi-award winning photojournalist James Morgan recently undertook a voyage with a pair of WWF scientists - Louise Glew & Gabby Ahmadiya, who are in the middle of a landmark study to assess a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the far flung waters of eastern Indonesia. The study, which has already amassed five years worth of data, focuses on the ecological and social impacts of the MPAs. So far, upward of 500,000 fish have been counted and 3,500 households interviewed. That makes it the most comprehensive study of its kind ever carried out. One of the criticisms levelled at MPA's is that they fail to take into account the human component in an ecosystem, which means local communities suffer as a result of environmental protection. Contemporary approaches no longer seek to remove humans from the MPA equation, but to work with them as the natural custodians of these precious marine ecosystems.
Gabby Ahmadia sees a hawksbill turtle. WWF has been working with a seaweed farming community to promote alternative livelihoods to protect endangered turtles.
Louise Glew, the lead scientist for monitoring and evaulation at WWF, conducts a focus group with fishers from Pulau Nai, Kei Kecil MPA. Along with her colleague, senior marine scientist Gabby Ahmadia, the two women are attempting to disentagle some of the myths about MPAs in the archipelago.
Gabby Ahmadia releasing a juvenile hawksbill turtle.
A man goes for a swim in Hawang freshwater cave, Kei Kecil.
Cosmos Sirkin enters monitoring data from his mud crab fishing community. This will hopefully allow the group to formalise the status of the fishery, and secure political, financial or other support.
Sirkin is part of a crab fishing cooperative in Kei Kecil, Indonesia. At $10 a crab, WWF-Indonesia is helping Sirkin’s group set sustainable harvest guidelines and keep catch data.
Laurens Yamlean diving for sea cucumber. Sea cucumbers are a relatively high value resource thanks to their popularity particularly amongst Chinese communities
Clownfish in sea anemone in the Selat Dampier MPA. The degradation of reef ecosystems is occurring globally due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change - and their loss poses a direct threat not only to marine biodiversity but also to the health of fishing communities in developing nations, which rely heavily on marine resources for both subsistence and cash income.
Fishers depart for their bagan (fishing) platform in Kei Kecil, Maluku Province. Fishers will spend months at a time on these floating platforms amassing their catch.
Kids play in the ocean on Pasir Panjang beach, Kei Kecil, Maluku Province.
A seaweed farmer on Pasir Panjang beach. The group has agreed to stop harvesting hawksbill turtle eggs and seaweed farming offers a more sustainable alternative.
Villages are being studied for information on ethnic composition, political jurisdiction and proximity to fish markets.
Assorted fish at the market in Langgur.
Jan Piter Renuth is the Raja of Loorlobay, one of three kings on Kei Besar, a small island in Indonesia’s eastern Maluku regency. He explained Sasi, Indonesia’s traditional system of resource management to the team. Sasi can dovetail with contemporary conservation approaches as it seeks to control the harvesting of given resources based on their availability.
