Pantar Strait marine reserve built on 2015 decree and evolving local roles

Kalabahi — — The Pantar Strait and surrounding waters in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, were formally designated as a marine conservation area in June 2015 under a ministerial decree, but subsequent documents show that turning that legal status into day-to-day local management has required continuing work and collaboration.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries records Keputusan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan (Ministerial Decree) No. 35/KEPMEN-KP/2015, dated 16 June 2015, establishing the Kawasan Konservasi Perairan Selat Pantar dan Laut Sekitarnya (Pantar Strait and surrounding waters marine conservation area) in Alor, with the regulation listed as in force. A civil-society summary reproducing the decree text describes the area as managed as a Suaka Alam Perairan (marine nature reserve) with a total area of about 276,693 hectares.

Later technical work by conservation groups refers to the same site under its formal name Suaka Alam Perairan (SAP) Selat Pantar dan Laut Sekitarnya, noting that it was officially set as a conservation area in 2015 through the same decree and giving its size as approximately 276,693.38 hectares. A provincial-government news release from East Nusa Tenggara also cites the decree, gives the same date of 16 June 2015 and states that the area covers 276,693.38 hectares, calling for collaborative management to support the conservation authority.

From national designation to local implementation

The 2015 national designation followed earlier local steps. A study on marine ecotourism development in the Pantar Strait notes that the conservation area was established through Decree No. 35/KEPMEN-KP/2015 as a follow-up to a 2009 Alor regency regulation on reserving local marine conservation areas. A separate account of Alor’s coastal policy describes how the regency first declared the strait a local marine conservation zone in 2006 and expanded it in 2009 through regent regulations.

Under Indonesia’s Law No. 23 of 2014 on regional government, responsibility for managing marine conservation areas shifted from regency to provincial level, requiring handover of personnel, budgets, infrastructure and documents. A 2017 report produced with WWF-Indonesia support describes efforts in Alor to complete this transfer process (known as P3D) for the Pantar Strait and other East Nusa Tenggara conservation areas, including a coordination meeting in Kalabahi involving the national ministry, the provincial administration and several coastal regencies.

That transition is central to how the Pantar Strait conservation area operates. The decree and subsequent summaries establish that the site exists in law and set its broad management category, but they do not by themselves specify how fishing, tourism and enforcement are carried out on the water.

Zoning, ecotourism and dugong conservation

A national marine-conservation information platform describes the Alor marine conservation area, formally named SAP Selat Pantar dan Laut Sekitarnya, as covering about 277,072.61 hectares, including 7,789 hectares of no-take zones. The same source notes that the site was first proposed by the Alor government and later confirmed through the 2015 ministerial decree, underlining its importance for biodiversity and local livelihoods.

Academic research on ecotourism strategies in the Pantar Strait highlights the area’s coral reefs, marine mammals and strong currents as key attractions and analyses zoning and community-based tourism as tools for sustainable use. The study discusses how conservation rules and tourism development must take account of local fishers’ activities and coastal communities’ income needs, reinforcing that management is not only about setting boundaries but also about everyday practices.

A dugong and seagrass conservation project report for Alor links the Pantar Strait conservation area to efforts to protect dugongs, noting threats from hunting and incidental capture as well as increased public interest in dugong sightings. It describes collaborative work by provincial and local governments and WWF-Indonesia to develop policy guidance for activities related to dugongs and seagrass in the conservation area, and identifies community groups and coastal monitoring units as partners.

Governance questions for residents and visitors

Available legal and technical documents confirm that the Pantar Strait and surrounding waters are designated as a marine conservation area under Ministerial Decree 35/KEPMEN-KP/2015 and that management is framed as a marine nature reserve with zoning that includes no-take areas. They also show that Alor’s earlier local conservation regulations underpinned the national decision.

However, these sources do not provide a current, consolidated picture of day-to-day governance: they do not spell out in detail which agency now leads operations on the water, how patrols are funded and staffed, or how fishing, tourism and dugong-related activities are licensed and enforced. For coastal residents and visiting divers or wildlife-watchers, that means the formal conservation label does not, on its own, explain every permitted activity.

Until the latest zoning maps, management plans and implementing regulations are confirmed with the responsible authorities, fishers, operators and visitors remain reliant on up-to-date official guidance and local instructions when deciding where to fish, how to conduct tours and how to approach sensitive species such as dugongs.

Sources

• Jaringan Dokumentasi dan Informasi Hukum Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP) – Detail Peraturan 35/2015
• Suraji blog – Kawasan Konservasi Perairan Selat Pantar dan Laut Sekitarnya
• WWF Indonesia – Laporan SAP Selat Pantar dan Laut Sekitarnya 2018
• Pemerintah Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur – news item on Kawasan Konservasi Perairan Selat Pantar
• Konservasilaut.id – KKP Alor profile
• IPB University repository – Strategi Pengembangan Ekowisata Bahari di Suaka Alam Perairan Selat Pantar Kabupaten Alor
• WWF-Indonesia, Completion of P3D for East Nusa Tenggara Marine Affairs & Fisheries Agency and Dugong Regulation, Alor Regency