Bintan Conservation Laboratory Marine Survey Case Study

Background
Indonesia is located within the Coral Triangle, an area identified to be rich in marine biodiversity. The diversity of Indonesia’s coral reefs, mangroves and reef fishes are among the highest in the world. These vast resources of marine biodiversity also contribute towards the livelihood of millions of people across the Southeast Asian region. Unfortunately, anthropogenic pressures, mainly due to destructive fishing practices and overfishing, have severely jeopardised these delicate ecosystems especially the coral reefs. Many experts believe that the establishment and implementation of Marine Protected Area (MPA) is one of the recommended solutions to these problems.

Our Partners
Banyan Tree Bintan and Angsana Resort & Spa Bintan, under the aegis of the Bintan Conservation Laboratory, have formed partnerships with other resorts on the island, as well as The Nature Conservancy – Coral Triangle Center (TNC – CTC) in Bali – Indonesia, and National University Singapore (NUS).

Survey Results
On 13 to 16 May 2007, we facilitated a focus discussion which involved Gede Raka Wiadnya, an MPA expert from TNC – CTC who acted as the resource person. The result of this discussion was an action plan on the process to establishing an MPA.

Following the discussions, a rapid marine survey was conducted from 20 to 23 August 2007 with the help of Professor Chou Loke Ming and his team of scientists from NUS. The result of the survey in August this year indicated that both coral reef health and fish abundance are in stable condition along the coastline (refer to Figure 1).