Project overview

Objective

Understanding the distribution and vulnerability of Indonesia’s seahorses, their interaction with fisheries, and their use in trade to enable sustainable management that safeguards both seahorse species and coastal livelihoods.

Organisations & timeline

This project is the outcome of an ongoing, close collaboration between Project Seahorse at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, Canada, and the Research Centre for Biota Systems at the Research Organization of Life Science and Environment, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia, with invaluable contributions by the Indonesian Traditional Fisherfolk Union (KNTI). The project was initiated in January 2025, came into action in March 2025, and foreseeably will continue until December 2027.

For contact information, please see Questions and concerns.

Project Components

The project comprises the following primary components:

• A workshop to announce the collaboration and advance seahorse conservation in Indonesia
• Field training for the survey team
• An interview-based field survey across Indonesia to understand the distribution and vulnerability of Indonesia’s seahorses, and their interaction with fisheries and coastal livelihoods
• Two weeks of joint learning, analysis, and planning for key team members at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia
• A workshop to share survey findings with Indonesian fishers and discuss potential fisheries management options from the perspective of fishing communities
• A workshop to share survey findings and Workshop 1 results with Indonesian government agencies and identify options for improved management at national and local scale
• A capacity-building workshop on seahorse identification, seahorse population, fisheries, and trade monitoring for front-line government staff
• A workshop to assess the national status of seahorse species in Indonesia based on IUCN red list criteria
• Community consultations in 5 pilot sites identified as case studies for seahorse monitoring and management
• An event at a regional conference to share Indonesia’s work on the management of seahorse fisheries and trade with other Southeast Asian nations and inspire complementary efforts elsewhere

Financial support

We gratefully acknowledge funding from the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.

[Updated 21 August 2026]