KKP Strengthens The Role Of Coastal Community Managing Conservation Areas

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) strengthens the role of the coastal community of West Lombok in managing conservation areas. These efforts are carried out through intensive assistance to the Conservation Mobilization Community Group (KOMPAK), including in the use of government assistance provided.

The assistance is given to several groups that have received conservation assistance for community groups (KOMPAK) in NTB Province, namely Sumbawa Grow Up, Mbojo Nature Lovers Community (KOPA), Gili Matra Pokmaswas, Deep BlueSea Group and Baywatch Group.

The KKP provides an understanding of ways to utilize government assistance in the field of conservation that is good for groups of conservation driving communities in the Sekotong area, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

Director of Conservation and Diversity of Marine Hayati Muh. Firdaus Agung Kunto Kurniawan said that the KKP continues to strive to improve the effectiveness of managing conservation areas by strengthening the role of the community in conservation areas.

"KOMPAK is an important part of the management of conservation areas in the West Nusa Tenggara region because it participates in activities to protect and preserve resources in conservation areas," said Firdaus through his official statement, on Saturday, August 26.

Previously, government assistance in the field of conservation had been distributed to the Conservation Mobilization Community Group (KOMPAK) in the form of diving equipment in NTB Province including North Lombok Regency, Sumbawa Regency, Bima City, and West Lombok Regency.

Firdaus said that conservation assistance was provided by the government so that community participation in managing conservation areas would increase.

Not only that, this conservation assistance is also really needed by groups to support conservation activities in their area, so that it can encourage the creation of economic impacts on communities around the conservation area.

In addition to being able to improve competence in providing assistance and monitoring of coral reefs, through technical guidance, the public is expected to be able to submit reports of cases of coral bleaching in the NTB area.

On the same occasion, the Coordinator of the Education and Training Division of the Mbojo Community of Nature Lovers (KOPA) M. Yeriansyah welcomed the KKP initiative to provide technical guidance to community groups.

"We can update the health science of coral reefs and quickly collect data on coral reefs. In addition, the open water POSSI class is very useful for us," he said.

Yeriansyah also hopes that the KKP will continue various activities that support group sustainability, such as conservation training, open water certification, snorkeling guides, and diving guides.

This is in line with the policy of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono to continue to encourage groups of recipients of aid to always be at the forefront of building the marine and fisheries sector through various acts of protection and conservation.