National capacity needs assessment of relevant institutions needed for fisheries and coastal natural resource management in pilot areas

Book excerpt: Indonesian Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (ISLME) Project of “Enabling Transboundary cooperation for sustainable management of the Indonesia Seas” is a Project of GEF/FAO cooperation with Indonesia and Timor Leste to strengthen regional cooperation and support the effective and sustainable management of ISLME area. The implementation of ISLME project has been designed to improve fisheries resource management, in four Fisheries Management Areas (FMA or FMA) of Indonesia that are FMANRI 712, 713, 714 and 573 and the coast of Timor Leste bordered to Indonesia waters. There are three components of the project namely: 1) Identifying and addressing threats to the marine environment including unsustainable fisheries; 2) Strengthening capacity for regional and sub-regional cooperation in marine resources management; and 3) Coordination with regional information networks, monitoring of project impacts, and dissemination and exchange of information. According to ISLME Project Document (GCF/RAS/289/GFF), through an important process under component 2, the project are piloted at seven sites, four of them will be in Indonesia (FMA 712, 713, 714, and 573) and two in Timor-Leste and one in transboundary area. An intensive consultative processes have been conducted in national level, particularly with Directorate of Fisheries Resources Management, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and others related institution (e.g. DG of Aquaculture, Marine Spatial Planning and Management, Surveillance), and in the 7 provinces (Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and East Kalimantan) related to 5 priorities group of fishery, i.e. blue swimming crab, snappers and groupers, small pelagic fish, lobsters, and mud crab.