Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

waters or recognize important internationalconventions and specific management needsfor endangered and vulnerable marine mammalspecies and populations. In addition, laws relatingto marine mammals are confused by secondaryfisheries laws, some <strong>of</strong> which classify marinemammals as fish and seek to promote and regulatefish harvest. In some regions <strong>the</strong> protectedstatus <strong>of</strong> cetaceans and dugongs is unknown orignored. Habitat destruction and directed catches<strong>of</strong> small cetaceans especially are widespread.To address <strong>the</strong>se issues, a recent discussion paperhas been produced at <strong>the</strong> request <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong>Marine Affairs and Fisheries to outline <strong>the</strong> possibleestablishment <strong>of</strong> a marine mammal ‘no-takezone’. This marine mammal sanctuary, referredto a “Protected Marine Mammal Fisheries Area”would extend throughout Indonesia’s nationalwaters and economic exclusion zone (EEZ). Itwould prohibit commercial and scientific takes <strong>of</strong>marine mammals and streng<strong>the</strong>n specific fisheriesregulations that benefit to marine mammals (Kahn2002a). Importantly it would a) integrate <strong>the</strong>existing laws within a unified marine mammalconservation strategy, b) identify and address <strong>the</strong>current gaps in legislation and legal prescriptions, c)provide a clear management tool for <strong>the</strong> strategy’simplementation on <strong>the</strong> ground, and d) incorporateboth major environmental threats and internationaltreaties relevant to (migratory) marine mammalmanagement.Both <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Forestry and Ministry <strong>of</strong>Fisheries and Marine Affairs have initiated programsto improve marine mammal management andconservation at both national and site-specificlevels. A national strategy for <strong>the</strong> conservation <strong>of</strong>migratory marine life was completed in 2001 andincludes descriptions <strong>of</strong> marine mammals andmanagement recommendations (DKP/IPB 2001).Marine mammal conservation and managementissues are increasingly being considered inprotected areas such as Bunaken Marine Park andKomodo National Park. In <strong>the</strong> latter, extensions to<strong>the</strong> Park’s boundaries and additional buffer zoneshave been adopted by <strong>the</strong> management authoritiesand will be incorporated into a 25-year managementplan, in order to protect sensitive marine areas,such as migration corridors, for cetaceans (Pet andYeager, 2000). Needed conservation actions havebeen identified for <strong>the</strong> critically endangered pesutpopulation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mahakam River in East Kalimantan(Doc. 12). Strong and continued governmentcommitment to implementation is urgently neededto avoid extirpation <strong>of</strong> this population in <strong>the</strong> nearfuture.The effective implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se governmentand non-government marine mammal conservationinitiatives will greatly improve <strong>the</strong> status <strong>of</strong>Indonesia’s marine mammals.Folk attitudesNo new information was available. Cetaceansare generally perceived as competitors forfish. However, in a country as vast and ethnicallydiverse as Indonesia, folk attitudes to marinemammals are likely to be different for each province,coastal district and community. In some parts <strong>of</strong>Indonesia such as West Timor and North Sulawesidugongs are protected because <strong>the</strong>y are thought tobring luck. In contrast in o<strong>the</strong>r areas “sea gypsie”scatch dugongs because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir magical powers.These kills are generally opportunistic (see Marshet al. 2002 for details).Descriptions <strong>of</strong> existing research programsPrior to 1997, only a limited number <strong>of</strong> scientificstudies had been conducted on marine mammalsin Indonesian waters. Ecological aspects such asspecies-specific habitat preferences in Indonesiawere (and still are) largely unknown.<strong>Second</strong> <strong>Workshop</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Biology and Conservation <strong>of</strong> Small Cetaceans and Dugongs <strong>of</strong> SE Asia 41