Marine Conservation and Advocacy through Coastal Community Learning Centers

Since its establishment, the North Sulawesi Traditional Fishermen Association (ANTRA Sulut) has been committed to fighting for fishermen's autonomy over coastal and marine resources as their main source of livelihood. Armed with years of experience in coastal environmental advocacy and conservation, ANTRA Sulut strives to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems so that future generations can continue to access them equitably. One of the concrete steps taken is the establishment of the Coastal Community Learning Center with the support of Direct Funding from the Nusantara Fund.

This program is a collaboration between ANTRA Sulut and the Malalayang Coastal Fishermen Forum (FNPPM) and Perkumpulan Kelola as accompanying partners. The learning center aims to increase the capacity of fishermen and coastal communities in managing their areas sustainably. Its formation began with a focused discussion between the community and stakeholders to identify key challenges and to develop the management structure of the learning center.

The training provided includes advocacy of policies and strategies to defend community rights to coastal areas, which are linked to efforts to maintain the sustainability of marine ecosystems. The emphasis is that advocacy is not just resistance to certain policies, but more on maintaining the living space and culture of fishermen, including improving mutualistic relationships with the sea through ecosystem rehabilitation.

As part of the implementation of the education that has been followed, ANTRA members carry out marine conservation as part of maintaining living space, they also carry out coral reef rehabilitation of 3 hectares and mangrove planting in an area of ​​1 hectare around Kinamang Village. The ecological benefits of this conservation will certainly expand in scope, not only for Kinamang Village. 

As part of this program, ANTRA Sulut also developed a coastal community advocacy module to support the organization and defense of coastal area rights. A total of 35 participants from the first batch—consisting of 26 men and 9 women—have completed the training and are now active in various advocacy initiatives, especially related to the reclamation project in North Manado. They have built a working structure for managing the learning center and developed advocacy skills to be able to lead coastal protection movements in their areas, with a total coverage area of ​​102 hectares.

The Coastal Community Learning Center is a forum to uphold the autonomy of fishermen and coastal communities in managing marine areas. The sea is not only about the past and present, but also the future of coastal communities. With stronger advocacy skills and active involvement in environmental conservation, fishermen and coastal communities of North Sulawesi are better prepared to uphold the sovereignty of marine areas. This is becoming increasingly crucial considering the threat of reclamation projects and pro-investor policies that often ignore the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the rights of coastal communities.