Marine Zoning
Project Name
Supporting the Development of Zoning Plans for Marine Protected Areas in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Archipelago
Overview
In the Bird’s Head Seascape of Indonesia, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation International (CI), the Raja Ampat government, and local communities and stakeholders (see list below) are working to sustain both biodiversity and the livelihoods of the people who live there. As part of this long-term conservation initiative, TNC conducted a project to support the development of zoning plans for marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Raja Ampat archipelago, which is located in the northwestern corner of the Bird’s Head Seascape. Carried out in partnership with CI and the University of Queensland, the project considered all of the Raja Ampat MPAs together as a network, rather than individually, and it addressed both biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries.
Multi-objective Planning Focus
Facilitating multiple uses in MPAs is essential in Raja Ampat, given the high reliance of local communities on fishing as a source of food and income, and the importance of developing other sustainable industries such as tourism and low-impact mariculture. Developing a network-wide zoning system for the MPAs will strengthen sustainable management of these activities in Raja Ampat by identifying appropriate areas for both conservation and resource use.
Project Partners 
- The Nature Conservancy
- University of Queensland
- Conservation International
- Raja Ampat Regency government
- Balai Besar Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Yayasan Penyu Papua
- Local communities
- Private sector
- Other relevant stakeholders
Funding
- USAID – Global Conservation Program II
- Walton Family Foundation
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation — Science Program
- Private donors
- The Nature Conservancy
- AEDA (Applied Environmental Decision Analysis) research hub, funded through the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) programme