Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, November 6, 2026 at 12:42 AM UTC

Indonesia designates 31 million hectares of waters for conservation

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Khaerul Izan, Yashinta Difa

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia has designated 31 million hectares of its marine waters as conservation areas, aiming to expand protection to 97.5 million hectares by 2045, according to the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.

"The target to protect 30 percent of Indonesia’s marine territory—approximately 97.5 million hectares—by 2045 is a strategic effort to ensure the sustainability of Indonesia’s marine ecosystems," Head of the Convention and Marine Resource Balance Working Team at the ministry’s Directorate of Ecosystem Conservation Ahmad Sofiullah stated here on Thursday (November 5).

As part of this ongoing initiative, the ministry officially established two major marine conservation zones on September 2, 2026.

These include a 683,826.89-hectare conservation area in the waters of Teon, Nila and Serua (TNS) in Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, alongside the 162,874.03-hectare Maksegara marine conservation area spanning Sorong and Tambrauw Regencies in Southwest Papua Province.

Both regions were legally formalized under Ministerial Decrees Number 67 and Number 68 of 2026.

However, Ahmad emphasized that legal designation is only the first step.

Effective management institutions, human resources, sustainable funding, and oversight mechanisms are critical to ensuring both ecological and socio-economic benefits.

"The designation of a conservation area is not the ultimate goal. Once established, the area must be managed effectively," Ahmad added, urging support from local governments, communities, and stakeholders.

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