Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 11252194

In 2010 LINI started working in the Banggai Archipelago, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, to assist local stakeholders in developing a marine conservation program for the area. The Banggai archipelago is located in East Central Sulawesi Province, North East Sulawesi. The district has a total area of 22,042.56 km2 with 18,828.10 km2 of marine areas. There are 123 islands in the archipelago, of which 69 are inhabited. The archipelago lies within a vast area of global marine bio-diversity popularly known as the 'coral triangle'. Important coastal marine habitats in Banggai include coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds.

The Banggai Archipelago is home to an endemic species of fish; the Banggai cardinal fish (Pterapogon kauderni). This small, attractive fish is much sought after by marine aquarium hobbyists. Its capture and sale provide a much-needed source of income for local people. Overexploitation of this species has led to its becoming the first marine ornamental fish species to be proposed as being CITES-listed, solely as a result of over-collection for the marine aquarium trade.

The project aims to assist local fishermen, civil society groups and local government:

-        - to support the development of Marine Conservation Areas in the Banggai Archipelago, for protection of the marine habitats in which the BCF and other marine species live;

-        - to increase the capacity of local community groups to develop and maintain a conservation program for the BCF and protect the habitats which support the species;

Together with local stakeholders, LINI implements various conservation  activities including: conducting coral reef surveys, developing ‘no-take’ areas for the protection of the Banggai cardinal fish, training local communities in community-based reef and fishery resource monitoring, and developing marine management areas to be managed by the local communities, with support from local NGOs and local government. These actions provide a firm basis from which to regulate further exploitation of wild marine species in the Banggai area.