The Ford Motor Company has awarded total grants of US$45,000 to an Indonesian citizen and four institutions to finance their nature conservation, and cultural and historical artifact research projects. The four institutions are Yayasan Indonesia Hijau, Yayasan Tumbuh Mandiri Indonesia, the University of Indonesia's Batu Jaya archeological team and Yayasan Terumbu Karang Indonesia, the company said in a press release.

The individual grantee was not named in the press release. The grants will be used to finance an education program in the Seribu Islands National Park (Yayasan Indonesia Hijau), a mangrove forest rehabilitation project in Wajo regency, Sulawesi (Yayasan Tumbuh Mandiri), an archeological study of the Baturaja artifacts in Kerawang, West Java (the University of Indonesia team), Management and Monitoring of Live Coral Collection and Trade In Indonesia (Yayasan Terumbu Karang). The five grantees successfully beat off 44 other grant applicants. Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gde Ardika was among the nine jurors in the competition.(Source: Jakarta Post, January 23, 2003 )

(Silvianita from Terangi received award from Will Angove, Director of Ford Motor
Indonesia and Pia Alisjahbana as one of the jurors)

About the project (Management and Monitoring of Live Coral Collection and Trade In Indonesia)
 

TERANGI has been appointed to coordinate the Indonesia Coral Reef Working Group (ICRWG). The ICRWG was established in 2001. The group consists of coral scientists, individuals who work with government agencies, NGOs and businessmen. The group member shares the same concerns about coral reef issues. In the last 12 months, the ICRWG has concentrated on reviewing the 1998 coral utilization guidelines document which will then be renamed "Patterns of Coral Utilization in the Live Coral Trade" (Pattern).

Last discussion was held in a workshop in August 2002 with output revised Pattern and some protocols.The various protocols require field-testing. The field testing in the form of training for collectors, suppliers and exporters is considered very important to make sure that they are capable of correctly recording the data. Also training is especially necessary to encourage them to work on the inventory forms for each of the collection areas, and to complete their logbooks, as part of the dependent monitoring data collection process. Field-testing is also important in order to find out the practicality of guidelines and protocols. A pilot project to test the protocols in collection area therefore should become the next step. Lampung as one of the major collection areas for hard corals could be chosen as a pilot site.

The existing formulation of Indonesian quota establishment was understood to have several potential problems. Furthermore it is now known that the sought after corals species are commonly collected not from reef environments, but from soft bottom habitats. Further field assessment on many more collection sites has to be conducted, in order to overcome the lack of scientific information on the basic biology and ecology of corals species in trade. Up to date the formulation to establish quotas have not been finalized, because much more information is still needed. One parameter that has been decided on is that quotas will be given on a regional basis, and will not issued as national quotas. Therefore a thorough fieldwork and data collection on one collection area, for instance Lampung should be planned and implemented.