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conserve their resources now that they had a long-term stake in them; and it established a high degree of trust with the CRMP staff.
Next, the CRMP extension officers assisted villagers in developing the technical capacity for establishing an MPA. For example, extension offices demonstrated to villagers how to conduct
manta-tow surveys to measure coral reef coverage. It was largely on the basis of these studies that sites for MPAs were selected. Villagers then applied other criteria to the selection
of the site, such as feasibility of enforcement. In Blongko, for example, villagers were considering three sites. One site had excellent coral cover, but was not in the bay facing the
village, and therefore not visible from the shore. Enforcement would require continual monitoring by boat. Another site has less coral cover, but could be observed from the shore,
and therefore presented a much easier means of enforcement. The villagers chose the second site, within the bay.
Once sites were selected, buoys and other markers were used to designate the boundaries. Management measures were discussed among the teams that had been formed. Discus-
sions were facilitated by the CRMP extension officer. Villages established management committees and education committees for decisionmaking. Finally, the measures were codi-
fied in the form of a village ordinance.
The first ordinance was prepared by Blongko in 1998, prior to the enactment of Act No. 22 and the start of decentralization. There were significant questions regarding the authority of
the village to enact a law governing a MPA. Indeed, it was labeled as a keputusan desa, or village decision, rather than a Perdes, or village regulation. It further had been concluded
that while the authority existed, it was important that the ordinance be formally recognized by the Camat, or head of the sub-district, which was done through a formal decision. Talise
and Tumbak were next to enact ordinances to establish the boundaries of their MPA and to regulate activities within. Bentenan followed in 2002 with enactment of a Perdes to codify
and memorialize the establishment of MPAs in the respective villages.
2.2. Institutional Partners
Since the inception of the North Sulawesi project, the CRMP’s work has involved collabora- tion with institutional partners, including regional counterparts in the various branches of
government at the district and provincial levels. These relationships have been critical to the success thus far of the CRMP’s work. For example, the initial design of the North Sulawesi
project was done in conjunction with a Provincial Advisory Council PAC, which consisted of members from ten provincial and district agencies and the regional university, University of
Sam Ratulangi UNSRAT Dutton and Titayanto, 1998. Membership included representatives of the Departments of Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture, Tourism, Mining, Water Resources,
the Provincial Planning and Development Board Bappeda, the Provincial Environmental Agency Bapedalda, the National Park Authority within the Ministry of Forestry, and numerous
other groups. The chair is the Provincial Bappeda. The PAC was involved in the design and conduct of the rapid assessment, the development of the criteria for selection of project
sites, and the actual selection of sites.
A Kabupaten Task Force KTF was formed in 1998, to ensure that District representatives were also engaged in the CRMP’s work. The KTF consisted of representatives of relevant
departments, including Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture, Tourism, Mining, Water Resources, District Bapedalda, and Bappeda. It also included members from UNSRAT and a local NGO,
9
Kelola. The chair is District Bappeda. Unlike the PAC, the KTF had NGO representation. The KTF and the Provincial Working Group ensured that all levels of regional representation
were engaged in the CRMP’s work.
2.3. Institutionalization of Community-based Coastal Management in Minahasa District
As the four village MPAs took shape in Minahasa, the district and provincial governments, together with interagency groups such as the KTF and PAC, and other stakeholders, agreed
to develop a program to institute MPAs in other villages throughout Minahasa Crawford and Tulungen, 1999. Implementation proceeded sporadically through 2001 as a result of funding
variability and political shifts. The regional budget of North Sulawesi and Minahasa had been curtailed as a result of redistribution of funds pursuant to Act No. 251999. Nevertheless,
specific proposals were developed for replication and scaling-up in Likupang for 2001-2002 Kasmidi et al., 2002.
The link between this process and the development of a new law on coastal management was essential to the vision and the projected effectiveness of these efforts. The overarching
goal was to “enable the government to become an effective agent for coastal resource man- agement” CRC, 2002. This goal included enactment of a District Perda that would desig-
nate a lead agency for coastal resource management, and that would provide a clear man- date to assist communities to establish MPAs and other community-based resource man-
agement options.
