Dear USAID SEA partners and friends:
We regret to inform you that the USAID SEA Project is ending in March 2021. The Project has been supporting the sustainable use and management of fisheries and other marine resources in Indonesia, working closely with our government counterparts in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) and through the provincial fisheries offices in North Maluku, Maluku and West Papua. Our overall mission is to build the capacity of government and non-government entities that have significant roles supporting and ensuring that Indonesian fisheries and marine areas are under wise stewardship and management with benefits accruing to local stakeholders.
I am amazed at how much we accomplished in the USAID SEA Project. I thank our core staff and all the staff of our partner NGOs for their excellent work and being part of this complex undertaking. I see the project whole as an interconnected organism, where all parts depend on each other to function properly. The positive results reflect that interconnectedness of the SEA Team and the interface with all the government agencies and communities with whom we have worked.
Success depends on collaboration, coordination, and being very strategic in the activities undertaken in consultation with our counterparts, from the MMAF to the smallest village in the field. Marine and fisheries resources management and conservation cannot succeed without the buy-in and support of all stakeholders.
For your information, all of the USAID SEA publications are available on the USAID SEA Website (www.sea-indonesia.org) which will remain live until 2025. We are also launching several new publications in March 2021, including our final issue of the Talking Sea Newsletter and a new book called ‘Sustaining Indonesia’s Marine Environment—Lessons Learned from the USAID SEA Project,’ which summarizes our lessons learned from implementing the Project. Please avail of these publications for your use.
Until next time!
Alan White
Chief of Party USAID SEA Project