PELAKITA.ID – The inaugural Global Ocean Innovation Challenge Workshop, held on 27–29 October 2025 in Bali, marked an important milestone in strengthening ocean innovation in Indonesia. The event was organized by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN).
The forum brought together participants from government institutions, NGOs, startups, coastal communities, and private partners to design technological solutions that support effective management of marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries.
The Global Ocean Innovation Challenge is a global initiative aimed at stimulating ideas from innovators to design technologies and close the information gaps that have long hindered marine conservation efforts.
Launched in the Asia-Pacific region in mid-2025, with Indonesia as the first testing hub, the initiative is set in a region that is home to more than 75% of the world’s coral reef species and a vital source of food for millions of people.
The program opens a new chapter of cross-sector collaboration to address marine conservation challenges through innovative, technology-based approaches. With its vast marine biodiversity and national commitment to protect 97.5 million hectares of marine areas by 2045, Indonesia is an ideal location to launch pilot projects that integrate science, technology, and local wisdom.
Firdaus Agung, Director of Ecosystem Conservation at the Directorate General of Marine Management, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), expressed his support for the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge and emphasized the importance of linking policy with on-the-ground implementation.
“The Global Ocean Innovation Challenge demonstrates how technology can enhance the effectiveness of marine protected area management, aligning with the 30×45 vision. This is a significant step toward achieving the target of protecting 97.5 million hectares of marine areas by 2045,” he said.
The initiative seeks to accelerate the scale and impact of conservation solutions addressing key challenges in managing marine protected areas, such as overfishing, lack of data, habitat degradation, and declining coastal resilience.
By integrating technology, it is expected to close data gaps and strengthen monitoring and enforcement capacities, particularly in conservation areas and small-scale fisheries.
The program is structured into three phases. The first phase, running until mid-2026, focuses on identifying key challenges, selecting appropriate technologies, and implementing pilot projects in Indonesia.
The second phase, to be carried out in late 2026, will replicate Indonesia’s results in several other Asia-Pacific locations, emphasizing improved management effectiveness of marine conservation areas and sustainable industrial fisheries. Outcomes from these trials will form the basis for global-scale solutions in the third phase, which also aims to pave the way for the commercialization of selected technologies.
Meanwhile, Amehr Hakim, Director of Marine Spatial Management at the Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management, MMAF, noted that one of the main focuses of the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge’s collaboration and alignment is the ocean monitoring system currently being developed by the Indonesian government to strengthen the nation’s capacity to monitor marine ecosystems.
Amehr emphasized the strategic importance of this technological shift:
“An integrated ocean monitoring system will be the foundation of data-driven management for marine protected areas. The technologies being developed are expected to align and integrate with the national ocean monitoring system and the ocean big data platform under construction by MMAF. We welcome cutting-edge innovations such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twins to support more effective management of conservation areas and Fisheries Management Areas (WPP). This holistic approach also reinforces the 30×45 vision toward a healthy and productive ocean,” he explained.
Recognizing the substantial investment required for technology adoption and replication, Amehr highlighted the need for sustainable, cross-sector financing strategies to ensure long-term innovation.
“Technology development will only be sustainable if supported by diverse and predictable funding sources. In addition to national and regional budget allocations (APBN and APBD), especially for local-level monitoring infrastructure, this collaboration opens opportunities for financing from the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH), NGOs, the private sector, and impact investors. Such financial synergy is crucial to ensure that the innovations developed can be effectively implemented and create broad impacts,” he added.
Toward Implementation and Real Impact
During the Bali workshop, participants collaborated to identify the main challenges in managing conservation areas and small-scale fisheries, while also exploring and formulating various innovative solution ideas.
“Through the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge, we aim to accelerate the adoption of technologies with high potential to address the most pressing challenges facing the world’s oceans. Indonesia is the ideal place to start, as innovation here directly intersects with real-world conditions and the diverse coastal communities that live side by side with the sea every day. From here, we hope to build conservation models that inspire other regions globally,” said Tamara Singh, Senior Advisor for TNC’s Regional Program.
By the end of the workshop, participants had identified and prioritized technologies with the potential to address major challenges faced by coastal communities, NGOs, and both public and private sectors.
A roadmap was also presented to test several innovative solutions in early 2026 in Indonesia as the first pilot site in the Asia-Pacific region. TNC and YKAN will consolidate these emerging concepts and coordinate with MMAF to ensure alignment with government priorities and needs.
Muhammad Ilman, YKAN’s Marine Program Director, emphasized the importance of balancing technology, policy, and community empowerment:
“The Global Ocean Innovation Challenge is a collaborative platform ensuring that technological innovation aligns with social and ecological needs. When coastal communities, government, and innovators sit together, we create solutions that are not only advanced but also rooted in real local needs,” he stated.
With its cross-sector, needs-based approach, the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge stands as a new model of collaboration between technology and conservation — one that is poised to inspire the world.
About YKAN
Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) is a science-based nonprofit organization established in Indonesia in 2014. YKAN provides innovative solutions to achieve harmony between nature and people through effective natural resource governance, a non-confrontational approach, and broad partnerships with stakeholders for a sustainable Indonesia.
For more information, visit www.ykan.or.id.