A long discussion among the stakeholder to protect Aceh Besar’s marine ecosystem finally agreed by Jaringan Kuala (local NGO), all Aceh Besar’s Panglima Laot Lho (local indigineous leader), Regional Marine and Fisheries Agency (RMFA) , Flora and Fauna Indonesia (FFI), and other related stakeholders on September 2011 on Oasis Hotel after the previous session conducted in August same year. One of the important point was the supports for agreement on the sustainable fishery management of Aceh Besar.

An effective strategy for restoring and declaring marine conservation zonation will be proactively involving local communities and people, at least within 8 district in Aceh Besar. Local people and communities has been very aware that their fishing activity has been disrupted by massive fishing activity, involving modern tech by fishers from outside the region, and in certain, the massive and modern tech also means destruction for the ecosystem, nevertheless the climate is also shifting as they thought, those reasons are more than enough for them to start take action.

Meanwhile a multi-stakeholder forum included as member, WWF-Indonesia and Jaringan Kuala, has started doing the role to re-enforce the restoration and declaration agreement which has started to take place in 2010. The proposal of declaration of marine conservation by Aceh Besar’s RMFA No. 523/127/2011 dated May 11th, 2011, has finally adopted in by later the Aceh Besar Regent Decree No. 190 year 2011 about Aceh Besar District Marine Conservation Establishment.

Those significant decision from the leaders will be playing important roles in maximizing Aceh Besar’s potentiality efficiently such as marine eco-tourism, sea turtle sanctuary, coral rich diving spots, marine aquaculture, and also wild catch fishery, which all need to be managed sustainably in order to achieve additional profits, long term natural resources availability, based on local wisdoms and environmental sustainibility considerations. The work in Aceh have been a persistent work funded by Oxfam since 2005 on Green Coastal program, and then the program shifted as Green Investment for Fisheries in 2008 to continue its mission building Aceh to be better living place.

Contact WWF-Indonesia Aceh: Chik Rini (CRini@wwf.or.id)
Contact Jaringan Kuala: Arifsyah Nasution (arifsyah@gmail.com)
Writing by Aulia Rahman (arahman@wwf.or.id / twitter: @8AD)