Marine conservation collides with mining in Indonesia’s biodiversity-rich Moramo Bay

South Konewae, Indonesia — A marine protected area in Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi province now grapples with conflicting priorities between marine conservation and mining. The Moramo Bay local marine protected area (LMPA) in South Konawe district contains a critically depleted population of humphead wrasse, once a key factor in its designation. However, mining permits encroach upon parts of this conservation zone and its coastline.

A 2024 government survey, published the following year, revealed that the Moramo Bay LMPA now holds only 22 humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) across ten sampling stations, averaging just 1.17 fish per hectare. This stark decline contrasts with the species' presence in 2018, when it was still observed in three sites within the bay.

Researchers and officials attribute the bay's coral reefs to mounting pressures from sedimentation, pollution, vessel activity, and other threats. Yet, no direct study has established a link between mining and the humphead wrasse's decline.

Coral reef fish ecology researcher Sasanti Retno Suharti warns that a polluted environment will likely force the fish to relocate to deeper waters, leading to potential ecosystem damage. Without humphead wrasse, she predicts the crown-of-thorns starfish could overpopulate and consume the corals, further degrading the ecosystem. The presence of humphead wrasse initially prompted the Southeast Sulawesi province to propose Moramo Bay as a LMPA in 2011; the area's conservation zone expanded to 21,786 hectares (53,834 acres) by 2016 from 10,371 hectares (25,627 acres) in 2014.

In 2021, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries officially designated the area as a marine protected zone.