Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia is promoting cooperation with global ocean research organisation OceanX to strengthen the management and conservation of its seven national marine parks based on scientific data and research.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on July 22 that Indonesia will expand its marine ecosystem database, map seabed topography, and conduct biodiversity surveys and inventories in national marine parks to improve the effectiveness of conservation and ecosystem restoration, the ANTARA news agency reported.
Indonesia currently has seven national marine parks, namely Wakatobi, Thousand Islands, Takabonerate, Cenderawasih Bay, Togean, Karimunjawa, and Bunaken. In addition, Komodo National Park is a conservation area encompassing both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Alongside conservation efforts, Indonesia is also promoting marine ecosystem restoration programmes, particularly the rehabilitation of degraded coral reefs.
Cooperation with OceanX will help the country supplement its resources with highly accurate scientific data to support the management, monitoring, and policy planning of marine conservation.
OceanX CEO and Chief Scientific Officer Vincent Pieribone said his organisation has completed two scientific missions in Indonesia and is currently focusing on marine biodiversity research in North Sulawesi province.
Under the cooperation agreement, OceanX will support Indonesia in collecting marine spatial data, surveying ecosystems, and assessing biodiversity in marine protected areas. All collected data will be transferred to the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry to support science-based policymaking./.
