Across the small islands of eastern Indonesia that lie within the Wallacea region, one of the world’s richest marine biodiversity regions, coastal communities are reviving ancient customary systems to safeguard marine ecosystems from destructive fishing and habitat loss. This movement is the centerpiece of Jejak Wallacea, a recent documentary highlighting how local empowerment can succeed where top-down conservation often fails, reports Mongabay’s Hans Nicholas Jong.
The film features initiatives across four provinces: East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi. These communities have turned to locally rooted methods of reverse biodiversity loss, such as seasonal fishing closures, customary sanctions and mangrove restoration.
In Solor, East Nusa Tenggara, residents established traditionally protected marine areas that they refer to as “marine granaries” (kebang lewa lolon) to restore coral reefs and created turtle hatcheries. They are also moving away from harmful blast fishing.
“What we chose was conservation, but based on local wisdom,” Vero Lamahoda, director of the local foundation Yayasan Tanah Ile Boleng that is supporting the communities in the transition, said in the documentary.
In Southeast Sulawesi, the village of Wabula employs a customary system called Kaombo, which regulates access to traditionally protected areas like seagrass beds and mangroves. Violators face customary fines or rituals like Kaleo Leo, where suspects are dunked into the sea, and the individual who surfaces first is considered the guilty party. Similarly, communities on Langkai and Lanjukang islands in South Sulawesi utilize periodic closures of marine areas for octopus fishing to allow populations to recover.
A study by researchers at Burung Indonesia, the Indonesian affiliate of BirdLife International, noted that the community-led efforts featured in the documentary have helped in the recovery of at least seven key marine species. These include the Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) and dugong (Dugong dugon).
In South Sulawesi alone, seminatural turtle hatcheries — community-managed sites established to protect sea turtle eggs from natural threats — helped release nearly 4,000 sea turtle hatchlings.
In the Banggai Islands, mangrove restoration has stabilized crab populations, which are vital for local livelihoods. Film director Sam August Himmawan noted the economic importance of these ecosystems. “If mangroves disappear, then the crabs will disappear too. The economic multiplier effect is enormous,” Himmawan said.
Burung Indonesia said that long-term sustainability of the community initiatives through their customary systems requires formal government recognition and support. Angga Yoga, a terrestrial program specialist at the organization, explained that their goal is to strengthen the capacity of civil society so that communities can design their own conservation mechanisms rather than having prohibitions imposed upon them.
Read the full story by Hans Nicholas Jong here.
Banner image: Aerial view of Langkai Island in South Sulawesi. Image courtesy of Arise! Indonesia
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