IFRDMD Highlights Socio-Economic Perspectives for Large Scale Marine Protected Areas (LSMPA) Development in Indonesia

The Workshop on the Identification of Scientific Studies for the Southern Java–Bali–East Nusa Tenggara Large Scale Marine Protected Area (LSMPA) was held on 22–23 June 2026 in Bali, Indonesia. The event brought together government officials, researchers, academics, and stakeholders to identify scientific priorities that will support the establishment and effective management of the proposed offshore LSMPA.

Representing SEAFDEC/IFRDMD, Dr. Maulana Firdaus, Chief of IFRDMD and Associate Planner at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Indonesia, delivered a presentation entitled “Socio-Economic Values in Large Scale Marine Protected Areas (LSMPA).” In his presentation, he emphasized that successful conservation initiatives require strong social and economic foundations to ensure that ecological objectives are aligned with community welfare and sustainable resource utilization.

Dr. Maulana Firdaus highlighted three key research priorities to support LSMPA development: Total Economic Valuation (TEV), Stakeholder Mapping, and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). He stressed that socio-economic assessments should not be viewed as the final step in conservation planning, but rather as the starting point for evidence-based policy and management decisions.

The workshop also featured presentations from other experts who shared scientific evidence suggesting that tropical eels (Anguilla spp.) found along the southern coast of Java are likely to spawn in deep offshore waters. These findings are particularly relevant to the long-term SIDAT research conducted by SEAFDEC/IFRDMD since 2014, which has focused on understanding eel migration patterns and habitat connectivity between inland, coastal, and offshore ecosystems.

The convergence of socio-economic perspectives and species-based scientific evidence highlighted the importance of integrated approaches in LSMPA planning. For SEAFDEC/IFRDMD, this workshop represented an important opportunity to strengthen its contribution to area-based management initiatives that consider the ecological requirements of target species. By linking socio-economic assessments with scientific knowledge on species migration and habitat use, IFRDMD continues to support the development of science-based conservation and fisheries management strategies across interconnected aquatic ecosystems.

The workshop concluded with a shared commitment among participants to enhance scientific collaboration and multidisciplinary research in support of the effective, inclusive, and sustainable management of the Southern Java–Bali–NTT Offshore LS

MPA.