Put them on the map! : Optimising cetacean conservation management in Indonesia through governance refinement and habitat-use-based spatial planning using complementary methods and underused data

• Main Author: Sahri, Achmad
• Other Authors: Murk, A.J., Mustika, Putu Liza Kusuma
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Wageningen University 2021
• Subjects: Life Science; Sperm whale
• Online Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/put-them-on-the-map-optimising-cetacean-conservation-management-i; https://doi.org/10.18174/541076

This PhD thesis aimed to develop an approach to provide information to improve cetacean conservation management in Indonesia through suggestions for strengthening the governance and introduction of habitat-use-based spatial planning using complementary methods and underused data.We reviewed Indonesian marine mammal conservation governance, legal framework, institutional arrangement, and related policies. In the development of the legal framework regarding marine mammal governance, three different phases can be distinguished: 1970s following a species-centred approach, 1990s focussing on site-based approaches, and currently applying a wider marine management approach. There are currently 7 policies in place for marine mammal management in Indonesia. Some aspects of marine mammal conservations governance are missing, these include a legal basis regulating traditional whale hunting, a code of conduct for marine mammal tourism, standards for ex-situ conservation, and regulation of underwater noise pollution. Suggestions were provided to strengthen the current legal framework such as adapting institutional arrangements to remove functional overlaps and to solve unclear mandates and responsibility dualism. This study also suggests to reinforce international collaborations, including become a full member of the International Whaling Commission and ratify the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals to further bolster Indonesian marine mammal conservation management.As current records of whale occurrence covering the whole of Indonesian waters are limited, this study employed historical whaling data (1761-1920) to model former seasonal distribution and habitat preferences of sperm whale. Two habitat modelling methods were used, Maximum Entropy (Maxent) and Generalised Additive Modelling (GAM). The models revealed that sperm whale occurrences were related to the distance to the coast, deep waters (-1,000 and -5,000 m isobaths) and submarine key features (trough and trench). The results indicate ...