In Timor-Leste – where over 70% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture –  fishing is a crucial source of livelihoods and protein for both coastal dwellers and inland communities. Small-scale coastal fisheries dominate the fisheries sector, while inland fish farms are seasonal and usually sustain only a single household. Surveys of the Timor Sea[1]

To ramp up the efforts on addressing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, ATSEA-2 has committed to provide incremental support to better understand the drivers, trends, characteristics, and impacts of IUU fishing and to reduce IUU fishing in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. The baseline for the fisheries component and fisheries-related activities in

The GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA ATSEA-2 Project welcomes Mr. Kenneth Yhuanje and Mr. Joe Kiningi as the National Coordinating Unit (NCU) staff members of ATSEA-2 Project in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Mr. Kenneth Yhuanje joins the NCU as PNG’s National Project Coordinator. Ken has 14 years of professional experience in fisheries, conservation and environmental impact assessment. He previously

FAO has estimated that the effect of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Indonesia is US$ 10-US$ 23 billion annually, but it has lost more than US$ 80 billion annually because of poor fisheries management. With over 17,000 islands and the world’s second-longest coastline, Indonesia, without a doubt, faces a massive challenge in securing

An ecosystem valuation study estimated the economic value of coastal and marine resources in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region to be about 7.3 billion USD (ATSEA-2, 2021). However, anthropogenic factors threaten marine resources in the ATS region, such as unsustainable harvesting, bycatch, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and climate change. A promising design

Lack of data has historically been a significant limitation for understanding the marine biodiversity and impacts of human activities. Seizing the opportunity to collect robust oceanography data for the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region, ATSEA-2 Project plans a joint-survey with the Institute of Marine Research and Observation (IMRO) of the Indonesian Ministry of Marine

ATSEA-2 Program is a regional partnership involving four littoral countries: Indonesian Government, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea by the support of Australian Government in order to collectively manage high marine and fisheries resources in Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS). In Indonesia, ATSEA-2 is focusing its work on the Fisheries Management Area (WPPNRI) 718 that

With imminent risks still lurk Rote Ndao’s fisheries due to the presence of several active oil rigs around the Timor Sea, ATSEA-2 conducts a field survey seeking to understand local community’s perception on impacts of marine- and land-based pollution. Located in East Nusa Tenggara Province, this sparsely populated island had a ghastly incident that still

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing is an issue that affects sustainable fisheries around the world, including in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. In many cases the constraints on patrolling and reporting of illegal or unregulated fishing vessels has its limitations, due to the nature of the open sea and technological limitations. However, there

There have been several cases of marine pollution in the Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province in Indonesia in the past which has highlighted the need to mitigate and prevent these events in the future. One of those ways is to create a fast response team and a coordination mechanism in order to equip the NTT

The GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA ATSEA-2 Project held its second Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meeting on 25 November 2020 to review the project’s progress in the past year and to discuss activities to be implemented for the next year and beyond. Hosted by the Government of Timor-Leste through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), the meeting was

During the first week of November 2020, the ATSEA program held a four-day public consultative webinar series where various experts in the field of marine and coastal sciences presented preliminary assessments and research results that would contribute to the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) of the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. Four thematic discussions were

On October 6 and 7, the RPMU hosted a series of Technical Workshop Meetings, where regional and national ATSEA-2 consultants presented initial findings to their studies on the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. Since the end of the first phase of ATSEA in 2014, the ATS region has seen a number of developments, as

Join ATSEA-2's Stakeholder Partnership Forum (SPF) on 2-5 November for a Consultative Webinar Series where you will hear directly from ATSEA-2's regional consultancy team on initial findings and latest update of their research to ensure that projects implemented in the Arafura and Timor Seas region is based on relevant data and information.

The ATSEA-2 team undertook a mission to Manado, Indonesia to do a courtesy visit to the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat. The visit was conducted on 14th of October 2020. Launched in 2009 through Leaders Declaration, CTI-CFF is a multilateral partnership of six countries which are Indonesia,

After establishing RPMU’s working unit in the first half of 2020, the regional project of ATSEA-2 has brought on board a team of consultants to support the RPMU in carrying out regional assessments and provide necessary data and information in order to develop and propose sound management interventions for the programme.  The RPMU was able

Kolepom island, off the coast of Papua, is an area that is abundant with pristine mangrove cover and river mouths that bring rich nutrient deposits. These conditions make the coast of Kolepom island a thriving nursery ground for fish and shrimp in the area, and a productive fisheries resource that attracts many fishermen there. With

On 2 September 2020, NCU Indonesia held a virtual coordination meeting with the Technical Regional Organisers (OPD) of Papua Province and Merauke District to update the government units on ATSEA-2’s 2020 Annual Work Plan (AWP). After presenting the ATSEA-2 programme activities and updates, technical discussions were made on collecting data in the field, planning survey

On Tuesday morning 18th August 2020, members of ATSEA’s Regional Steering Committee (RSC) attended the Intersessional RSC Meeting via zoom video conference call. The meeting was called upon to discuss the mid-year progress of the programme in each working unit and country. Representatives from each unit had the opportunity to present their progress on the

On 24 August 2020, NCU Timor-Leste held a coordination meeting in Manatuto involving the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) municipality task team members to create an ICM sub task team for the ongoing project activities in Posto Administrativo Barique. As part of ATSEA-2’s SAP implementation, the ICM approach becomes an important management tool in the remote

On 12 and 13 August 2020, NCU Indonesia attended two meetings with the Fishery Management Authority of the Fisheries Management Area of the Republic of Indonesia (LPP WPPNRI) to update the operational guidelines for LPP WPPNRI and to discuss the EAFM assessment of red snapper fisheries in Aru Islands and WPPNRI 718. On the first

Following the Courtesy Meeting with MMAF’s Research and Human Resource Agency in late June, RPMU continues to hold virtual meetings with other government agencies and overlapping programmes in the region. The purpose of these meetings is to introduce the ATSEA-2 programme to various stakeholders and working groups, in order to provide them with not only

The implementation of the ATSEA-2 programme in Timor-Leste had begun back in December 2019. Where plans of project coordination within the region were just about to be initiated. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, local travels within the country were limited up until six months after that initial phase when NCU Timor-Leste were able to coordinate

The last event of courtesy meetings with the echelon one of Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) was held on 29 June 2020 with the Research and Human Resource Agency (BRSDM KP). Similar to the three previous meetings, this meeting aimed to introduce ATSEA-2 RPMU and to seek suggestions on how the ATSEA-2

To implement a large-scale and complex programme such as the Arafura and Timor Seas Environmental Action (ATSEA) is not an easy feat.

The official website for the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Programme featuring vital information about its governance and activities was launched in June 2020.

Part of ATSEA-2’s programme is to contribute to the IW:LEARN project, a Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN).

World Oceans Day is an international celebration held yearly on 8 June where organisations and individuals celebrate the importance of the Oceans for the planet.

Throughout the time NCU Indonesia has implemented its activities and collaborated with Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF).

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on 22 April to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Through a Focus Group Discussion, ATSEA-2 moves forward to transform the Arafura and Timor Seas Expert Forum to a Stakeholder Partnership Forum.

On March 3 2020, MMAF through the General Directorate of Captured Fisheries launched a harvest strategy for fisheries management of blue swimming crab, snapper and grouper.

Merauke Regency’s natural wealth in Papua is marked by coastal areas and swamps. Kolepon Island is located in Merauke Regency and is one out of nine outer islands under the authorization of Papua Province located in the Aru Sea and adjacent to Australia. Dominated by mangrove swamp and muddy ground, the 11,620 km2 island is

Throughout the end of 2019, all active ATSEA-s programme units were able to host their respective project Inception Workshop. These Inception Workshops are important steps for each management unit, partners and stakeholders involved to form discussions and work together for the common goals of ATSEA-2.

On 16 December 2019, after Timor-Leste’s National Inception Workshop, Timor-Leste’s National Coordination Unit (NCU) hosted the National Project Board (NPB) Meeting. The main agenda of the meeting was to present, discuss and adopt items on the Terms of Reference (TOR) for Timor-Leste’s NPB as presented by the Regional Steering Committee. Another item on the agenda

Aru Tenggara Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) is one of the Indonesia’s National MPAs based on the Decree of Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries No KEP/63/MEN/2009. Aru Tenggara MPA hosts a rich ecosystem consisting of mangrove, seagrass, and corals – all in good condition. It is located in Aru Islands District, Maluku Province. This

The Fisheries Management Areas of Republic of Indonesia (WPPNRI) is a series of geographical delineation set by the Republic of Indonesia, to identify various marine and fisheries areas within the country. WPPNRI was developed based on each area’s characteristics, diversity of fisheries resources, marine topography, seafloor morphology conditions, and Indonesian maritime boundaries. Through this management

The first Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting of the GEF/UNDP Project on Implementation of Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) Regional and National Strategic Programs: Second Phase of the Arafura-Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Program (ATSEA 2) was held at the Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2019. The RSC Meeting was exclusive to

The United Nation (UN)’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water became the main theme of ATSEA-2 participation on 2019’s Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum. This annual event was hosted through a series of seminars followed by a three-day exhibition for startup business and projects supporting marine and fisheries activities throughout Indonesia. Together

The tropical region of the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) is crucial to connect Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as important role in the world’s ocean circulation. ATS has been facing big challenges from lack of awareness on ecosystem level, transboundary threats and less integrated management of the region. During the period of 2001