Conservation International - Bird's Head Seascape: Blue Abadi Fund

BIRD’S HEAD SEASCAPE BLUE ABADI FUND

The West Papua Government and the Bird’s Head Seascape Coalition are seeking partners and investors to capitalize the Blue Abadi Fund, a $38 million endowment for the Bird’s Head Seascape, to permanently protect the single greatest reservoir of tropical marine species on the planet, to enhance local fisheries, to increase climate resilience, and to significantly improve the lives of indigenous Papuan coastal communities. Forever.

PROGRAM SUMMARY A little over a decade ago, an unprecedented coalition of partners began what has become one of the most ambitious and effective marine conservation programs in the world.

Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF launched the Bird’s Head Seascape Initiative in 2004, in recognition of the extraordinary value of the marine ecosystems surrounding Indonesia’s West Papua Province.

Over 10 years of investment has resulted in the creation of a network of over 3.6 million hectares of MPAs in the Bird’s Head Seascape in West Papua. The MPA network, which represents over 20% of all MPAs in Indonesia, is being co-managed by communities and government for biodiversity conservation and sustainable local fisheries.

The marine ecosystems protected within this MPA network are widely regarded as the epicenter of global marine biodiversity, with more marine species found there than in any other place its size on the planet.

These critical ecosystems are also the lifeblood of local indigenous communities, providing food, income, and critical protection for rising seas and storms. With over 40% of the population living in poverty, coastal communities in West Papua are highly dependent on natural resources for survival, with fishing providing the majority of dietary protein for 75% of families.

As such, the MPAs have been carefully designed to deliver biodiversity, fisheries, and social outcomes.

Within the MPAs, 20-30% of all critical habitats are fully protected in No-Take reserves, to serve as fish replenishment zones, while the majority of the remaining areas are restricted to sustainable use by local communities to enhance local economies and food security. The results have been tremendous. The MPAs and local patrol teams that enforce them have successfully reduced overfishing by outside poachers by 90%, leading to significant increases in fish biomass, catch by local fishers, and local food security.

Marine tourism is booming and is now, along with sustainable fisheries, the foundation of the local economy.

The West Papua government is now working with the NGO and philanthropic communities to transition the Bird’s Head Seascape Initiative from an international NGO-driven and donor-funded initiative, to one that is effectively managed entirely by local institutions and that is sustainably financed. Once successful, it will be Indonesia’s first fully sustainably financed MPA network and will serve as a model throughout the country and region.

To that end, the Bird’s Head Seascape Coalition and the West Papua Government have launched Blue Abadi, an initiative to ensure the sustainability of the Seascape. “Abadi” means forever in Bahasa Indonesia and it is through Blue Abadi that we aim to ensure that the value of the Bird’s Head is protected forever.

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y T H R O U G H D I V E R S I F I E D F I N A N C I N G : The financial sustainability of the MPA network will be achieved through diversified revenue sources including government allocations, visitor fees and other local financing mechanisms, local fundraising, and a dedicated conservation trust fund. The Bird’s Head Seascape Coalition developed a comprehensive cost model and business plan that projects Seascape costs, revenues, and gaps under the “steady state” management system expected to be in place by 2017. Based on the cost model, the effective management of the MPA network by local institutions will cost ~$6.7M annually.

While these local commitments and revenue sources are unprecedented, additional investment is needed to ensure a fully sustainably resourced Seascape. The remaining gap is $1.4M annually, which will be filled through disbursements from the Blue Abadi Fund, a dedicated $38M trust fund. Blue Abadi will be capitalized through investments from the private sector, public agencies, and the philanthropic community and will further work to incentivize and secure the government commitments needed to fully secure financial sustainability.

Over 70% of local costs are already secured through local sources, with the largest contributor being the government itself. Between national and local budget allocations, ~$3M is allocated each year to MPA management authorities.

This represents a quadrupling of government spending on MPAs since the inception of the initiative and is a testament to the government’s increased commitment to the MPA network and understanding of the services it provides its citizens. In addition to government budget allocations, a system of visitor fees will generate $1.4M annually and local civil society partners are projected to collectively cover a minimum of $0.8M of their costs through local fundraising. Additional local revenue generation models are being explored, including a port fee, fisheries cooperatives contributions, and blue carbon payments.

Projected Annual Funding Sources $6.7M for Local Institutions

The communities of West Papua are on the brink of securing a sustainable future - one in which their children remain deeply connected to the beauty of their heritage while having increased access to food, education and livelihoods. But if sufficient trust fund revenues are not in place by 2017, current levels of funding and protection will lapse, raising the specter of a return of heavy foreign fishing pressure and uncontrolled tourism growth. Investing in the Bird’s Head’s Blue Abadi Fund will help secure the financial sustainability of the Seascape, providing the local communities and agencies the resources they need to sustainably manage their marine resources...forever.

Government Allocation $3.1M

Local Partners $0.8M

Tr u s t Fund Distributions $1.4M

Vis itor Fe e s $1.4M

Blue Abadi