Coastal Communities Take the Lead: A Learning Exchange from Kubu Raya to Nusa Penida

In mid-July, CTC’s Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) welcomed ten participants from Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, for a two-day Field Learning Trip and Learning Exchange in Nusa Penida. 

The visit was organized under Blue Ventures – Blue Forests Program, in collaboration with Yayasan Hutan Biru and Yayasan Planet Indonesia. The visit bridged together community members whose daily lives are closely tied to mangrove forests and coastal fisheries, much like the communities CTC works with. 

Kubu Raya is home to carbon-rich mangrove forests that serve as critical nurseries, feeding and breeding grounds for coastal fisheries—including mud crab, a primary source of income for local fishers. Since 2019, with support from Planet Indonesia and Blue Ventures, in partnership with Yayasan Pesisir Lestari, the villages in Kubu Raya have begun taking charge of managing their mud crab fisheries and protecting their forest. Communities enforce temporary fishery closures across a combined 6,519 hectares of mangroves, prohibiting mud crab fishing in specific river areas for three-month periods to allow the crabs time to mature before harvest resumes. 

The communities have also been working to strengthen the Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Desa (LPHD), forest management institutions, of each village. One of the ways is by regular patrols using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) Patrol, which helps communities report findings, monitor the density of human and animal activity in the forest, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness of their conservation and enforcement efforts.

The exchange opened on July 14, 2026, when the group visited CMC for a center tour and a dedicated session with Bli Jaya on the management of Nusa Penida’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). 

On July 16, the focus shifted to the role of coastal women and area surveillance, with Gili Buana and Sandu Care leading the presentations and discussions. The participants explored conservation area management, surveillance mechanisms, and the building of multi-stakeholder collaboration, themes that resonate strongly with Kubu Raya’s own locally managed marine area (LMMA). The discussions also highlighted the vital role coastal women play in sustaining conservation efforts and community-based resource management. 

The day continued with field visits to Sandu Care, a seaweed farm, a mangrove restoration site in Nusa Lembongan, giving participants firsthand look how conservation management and community empowerment take shape on the ground. 

For the Kubu Raya delegation, the visit offered a chance to see how another mangrove-dependent community, on the other side of Indonesia, is tackling similar challenges: balancing livelihoods with conservation, strengthening local institutions, and involving women as key actors in surveillance and stewardship.

The exchange closed on a high note, with participants leaving Nusa Penida with fresh ideas and renewed motivation to bring back to their own mangrove forests and fishing grounds in Kubu Raya.

Writers: Jaling Sim
Photo: Pramatenya Putri/CTC