Author: Estradivari (WWF-Indonesia)

There is something different about this Southwest Maluku Expedition. Unlike other WWF-Indonesia expeditions, this expedition focuses on three aspects, namely ecology, social, and fisheries. These three aspects each have different methods and complexities for data collection and sampling, for example, the data needed is not only from the village but also the local waters. Not only that, the expedition area is also very large with islands located far apart from each other. This is the main challenge we will face is determining the route and places to visit.

Visiting these 'blank spots' in the Sunda Banda Seascape - where data and information on these three aspects are very limited - is a researcher's dream. Therefore, as a marine researcher who gets the rare opportunity to expedition in this region, I wanted to sample as much data as I could.
Unfortunately, I had to be a little more realistic. The expedition was only 15 days long, with 12 effective days for data collection. We plan to collect social and fisheries data in at least eight villages and 30 ecological data sampling sites. To achieve these numbers, the ground teams would need about one to one-and-a-half days in each village to collect social and fisheries data. Meanwhile, the team in charge of collecting ecological data must dive at least three times a day in the area around the villages that the Land Team visits.

The Seven Seas ship arrived a little late to Southwest Maluku Regency, because it had to wait for Budi (KKP) who had just landed at Frans Seda Airport, Maumere, in the afternoon. The Land Team's first destination was Ustutun Village, located on Liran Island, southwest of Wetar Island, about 38 hours by sea from Maumere.

At a normal speed, about seven knots per hour, the ship will reach the village approximately on November 3 at 14:00 local time. In order for us and the crew to have enough time to rest upon arrival after a day and a half of non-stop sailing, Wahyu, the Captain of Seven Seas, decided to increase the speed to nine knots per hour. We were also very lucky because the sea and weather were in friendly conditions and the wind direction was in line with the direction of the ship, so that the ship could dock early in Erai Village, the closest village with a dock, on November 2 at around 22.00 local time.

As expected, as soon as the ship's engine was turned off, the lights dimmed, the crew and the Southwest Maluku Expedition team went to bed to gather energy and prepare for the first day of data collection tomorrow (3/11).