Ecological Status of Teluk Cenderawasih National Park - 2016 Technical Report

Teluk Cenderawasih National Park (TCNP) is Indonesia’s second largest marine protected area (MPA), covering 1.4 million hectares (14,000 square kilometers) in the Bird’s Head Seascape. It was designated as a Marine National Park in 2002 and is one of the oldest MPAs in Indonesia. TCNP is home to more than 500 species of coral and 950 species of reef fishes, of which several are endemic, as well as several species of megafauna including whale sharks (Rhinocodon typus). TNCP employs multiple management strategies, including a management plan, a management body (Balai Taman Nasional), regular enforcement patrols, regular monitoring, and a zoning system. Nevertheless, violations still occur throughout the park due to weak law enforcement. The most common violations are fishing in No Take Zones and fishing without permits.The park’s zoning plan integrates traditional use and scientific information to simultaneously address fisheries, climate change, and biodiversity objectives. In early 2016, Balai Taman Nasional began reviewing the effectiveness of the current zoning system as part of an adaptive management process. The purpose of this report is to support the zoning system review by providing information on the ecological condition of TCNP’s coral reefs in each zone. In 2011, WWF-Indonesia and partners conducted the first ecological monitoring of 28 sites across TCNP. The same 28 sites were monitored again in April 2016 by a collaborative, multi-agency team from WWF-Indonesia, BBTNTC, UNIPA, TNC, and CI. The team of experts collected data on benthic communities, fish abundance and fish size using mixed methods, including point intercept transect, undewater visual census and long swims.