The Wakatobi MPA Center of Excellence (CoE) has once again organized the 4th cycle of training, a concrete step by the Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries Community Academy (AKKP), Wakatobi National Park Agency (BTNW), and Wakatobi District Government together with WWF-Indonesia in supporting inclusive marine protected area management. This training program not only equips participants with technical knowledge but also offers hands-on experience of conservation practices in the field.

For eight full days, from June 22 to 29, 2025, 24 selected participants from various regions and agencies participated in an intensive training consisting of 70% field practice and 30% theory. They were facilitated by 32 expert resource persons from various conservation sectors, academics, relevant offices of the Wakatobi District Government, Wakatobi National Park, and Indigenous Peoples.

CoE Wakatobi MPA is present as a concrete form of implementation of Law No. 32 of 2024 concerning Conservation of Living Natural Resources and Ecosystems, which emphasizes collaborative and sustainable management as the key to successful conservation. Wakatobi National Park, the training site, is a strategic ±1.3 million hectare area at the heart of the Coral Triangle, home to eight key conservation targets-from coral reefs, mangrove seagrasses, spawning areas (SPAGs) to marine species.

Plt Director of AKKP Wakatobi Alfi Kusuma expressed his gratitude for the cooperation of all parties for the implementation of this activity. He hopes that this training can be a forum for learning and improving technical competencies that are oriented towards real actions in the management of conservation areas in the future.

The Head of Pusdik KP, Alan Frendy Koropitan, also welcomed and provided support for the implementation of this MPA COE Training. He added that this MPA COE activity is also the right forum to strengthen the role of AKKP Wakatobi as a KP tertiary institution that encourages collaboration between the roles of local government, Wakatobi National Park, indigenous peoples and NGO partners in supporting the management of marine protected areas to be more effective so that in addition to the sustainability of natural resources it also provides economic benefits for the community.

The Head of the WNP Center, La Ode Ahyar T. Mufti said that capacity building to resource persons in the form of (TOT) and to MPA COE training participants does not stop only at the time of training but must be implemented and monitored together starting from the management of marine protected areas to the level of resource users (fishermen) continuously.

In his speech, WWF-Indonesia SESS Project Leader, Sugianta said that the current Wakatobi MPA Center of Excellence Training is an intermediate level where the focus is for Conservation Area managers. This 4th cycle is a continuation of the previous three cycles (November 2022, September 2023, and May 2024), which have cumulatively trained 81 participants from various backgrounds of conservation area managers, environmental activists, and academics.

CoE is also equipped with four thematic laboratories: Community Development, Corporations, Biodiversity and Governance, which support cross-disciplinary learning and hands-on field practice. The training program is also positioned as a supplement to support existing national training schemes (SK3/SKKNI) and academic curricula.

Through a community-based approach, vocational education, and strengthened partnerships, the Wakatobi MPA Center of Excellence has become a national learning model for advancing the effectiveness of sustainable marine protected area management. This training is not merely an annual activity—it is a long-term investment in the future of a healthy and sustainable ocean.