Indonesia: Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project Phase II

Indonesia’s large expanse of marine areas, much of which are fringed by coral reefs, support a wide variety of living aquatic resources. Considered as the coral biodiversity center of the world, its coral reef resources are said to contain 70 genera and 450 species of corals. These resources in turn support many coastal communities, artisans, and industrial fisheries. When this project was being contemplated, the total product of coastal and marine economic activities was estimated at 25%–30% of the country’s gross domestic product. Of late, coral reefs have been depleted rapidly mainly due to extensive extractive activities, destructive fishing practices, wanton coastal development for industrial and tourism purposes, and pollution.

Since coral reefs provide 90% of fish catch by coastal fishermen who are also increasing in number and who belong to the poorest segment of the society, their rapid deterioration proportionately reduces the fish catch per unit effort. These not only adversely affect the fishermen’s incomes; but also further constrain their access to basic social infrastructure like water, sanitation, health care, transport, and even credit. Such is the importance of these reef resources to Indonesia’s environment and economy that its planning system has now put stronger emphasis on using these resources with sustainability as its primary concern.

This report validates the completion report’s assessment of the project, which aimed to enhance national and local capacity to manage coral reef resources and to increase the income and improve living standards of poor coastal communities in selected provinces in Indonesia. IED overall assessment: Successful.