Konservasi Indonesia

Konservasi Indonesia was established in September 2021 as a national foundation to continue the track record of Conservation International Indonesia, whose program operations in Indonesia closed in April 2022. Since January 2022, KI has served as Conservation International's main partner in Indonesia, while Conservation International continues as a global partner. Its annual reporting describes Sundaland as covering work in Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan; Sunda Banda as covering Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku; and Sahul Papua as covering terrestrial and marine ecosystem work in West Papua with local communities. == History ==

Before Konservasi Indonesia was established, Conservation International supported marine conservation work in Indonesia, including in the Bird's Head Seascape. In 2001, it partnered with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences to carry out a marine rapid biodiversity assessment in Raja Ampat, and the results elevated the region to an institutional priority. In 2004, the Bird's Head Seascape initiative was launched as a multi-partner conservation initiative in the Bird's Head Peninsula region. During the 2010s, predecessor Conservation International Indonesia also supported marine protected area planning in Bali, with planning beginning in 2010 and the network initiated in 2013 through a memorandum of understanding signed by Bali's provincial and regency marine affairs and fisheries agencies. Konservasi Indonesia was established in September 2021 as an independent Indonesian foundation, or yayasan, linked to the transition of Conservation International's Indonesia country programme. In 2024, a U.S.-Indonesia debt-for-nature swap targeted funding for conservation work in the Bird's Head Seascape and the Lesser Sunda-Banda seascape, including a contribution from Conservation International. == Programmes and operations ==

Sahul Papua KI's Sahul Papua region covers terrestrial and marine ecosystem work in West Papua and Southwest Papua with local communities, and includes the Bird's Head Seascape as a major programme area. Bird's Head Seascape and marine conservation Konservasi Indonesia is the lead implementing partner for the Global Fund for Coral Reefs programme Terumbu Karang Sehat Indonesia, with priority sites in the Bird's Head Seascape in West Papua and Southwest Papua provinces. The programme includes work intended to strengthen marine protected area management and associated financing arrangements, including revenue sources such as user fees and tourism-related mechanisms. Work in West Papua and Southwest Papua included policy-strengthening work in the West Papua Provincial Forest Management Plan and patrol activities using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART). In Bali, predecessor Conservation International Indonesia supported the development of a provincial marine protected area network. Planning began with a multi-stakeholder workshop in 2010 that identified 25 candidate sites, and the network was initiated in 2013 through a memorandum of understanding signed by Bali's provincial and regency marine affairs and fisheries agencies. In West Nusa Tenggara, activities have included support for marine conservation area management around Moyo Island, Liang-Ngali, and Lipan-Rakit, totaling 65,000 hectares (650 km2), and work related to whale shark conservation in Teluk Saleh. From April 2019 to August 2023, Konservasi Indonesia led the International Climate Initiative project Peat and Mangrove Ecosystems, which supported retention and management of peat and mangrove ecosystems across 742,234 hectares (7,422 km2) in pilot provinces including North Sumatra, West Papua, and part of Southwest Papua. In September 2024, Konservasi Indonesia participated in a workshop in Jakarta intended to formalize the establishment of a national Marine Protected Areas Co-Management Committee, alongside government agencies and other non-governmental organizations. == Funding and conservation finance ==

Financing for KI's marine conservation work in Papua developed from earlier Bird's Head Seascape arrangements. In Raja Ampat, key finance-linked mechanisms included the tourism entrance fee system, the marine protected area patrol system, and the Blue Abadi Fund. A major later vehicle for KI's conservation-finance work was the Global Fund for Coral Reefs programme Terumbu Karang Sehat Indonesia (TeKSI), which combined revenue measures such as user fees, ecotourism, and mariculture with grant and investment tools for reef-positive businesses. The initial 18-month phase combined US$3.0 million from GFCR with US$2.325 million in co-financing and set out an eight-year investment ambition of about US$73.1 million. The programme also supported user-pay and other public-service financing mechanisms in marine protected areas. In the Bomberai marine protected areas, service-tariff regulations were being implemented through a regional public-service agency (BLUD), and five cruise ships carrying 682 tourists generated about US$46,000 in Kaimana between October and November 2024. In Raja Ampat, pilot mooring buoys were deployed in 2024 under a user-fee mechanism intended to fund procurement, placement, and maintenance. In West Sumatra, protected-area planning in Fishery Management Area WPPNRI 572 was linked to BLUD development and a proposed surf-fee regulation. A Green Climate Fund project-preparation facility approved in November 2022 centred the pilot on Fishery Management Area WPPNRI 572 west of Sumatra and paired a proposed blue bond or similar instrument with a grant-based Blue Ecosystem Adaptation Mechanism (BEAM). KI and Indonesia's Environment Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) were identified as indicative executing entities for proposal development. A 2024 U.S.–Indonesia debt-for-nature swap added another financing channel for KI-linked coral reef work. The agreements reduced Indonesia's debt payments by US$35 million over nine years and redirected the proceeds into grants for coral reef protection and restoration through a conservation fund, with KI among four non-governmental organization signatories and KEHATI as fund administrator. The arrangement focused on the Bird's Head, Lesser Sunda, and Banda seascapes, and part of the early grant proceeds was to be allocated to the Blue Abadi Fund before shifting to a new grant fund. == Partnerships ==

Konservasi Indonesia's partnerships include international conservation organisations, Indonesian public agencies, research institutions, finance entities, and community bodies. Since January 2022, it has served as Conservation International's main partner in Indonesia. Other clearly evidenced partnerships in KI's regional and national work have included technical guidance from Cargill in East Sumba, Indonesia's Environment Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) in Blue Halo S project preparation, and Indonesia's National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in peat and mangrove wetland coordination. == Impact and evaluation ==

In the Bird's Head Seascape, shifts in the traditional funding structure created pressure to transfer more management responsibility to local bodies and establish a sustainable funding model. Seascape-scale governance has also been linked to clear baselines, strong monitoring and evaluation, adequate institutional capacity, broad political support, and durable finance. Among the seascapes examined, Bird's Head was identified as having one of the strongest monitoring and evaluation systems and one of the strongest records of reported impact. Limitations remained. Blue Abadi was undercapitalized relative to updated annual financing needs, four marine protected areas in Kaimana had not received direct funding because local institutions lacked grant-receiving capacity, and the initiative still faced challenges in becoming embedded as a locally rooted institution in West Papua. For KI's post-2021 implementation, TeKSI's framework was integrated into KI's broader monitoring system and included review cycles intended to support adaptive management. Its 2024 outputs included baseline assessments in East Sumba, and an investment pipeline of 62 companies. Major risks included funding gaps, delays linked to government leadership changes, and limited access to finance for reef-positive enterprises. == References ==