Staff Spotlight: Celly Catharina
Celly realized there are significant consequences to the unsustainable development occurring in her country’s coastal zones. Now, she works on developing local and national capacity, working in coordination with the government, local communities, and private-sector partners, to sustainably use and conserve the marine environment. She promotes collaborative efforts to design, develop, and implement innovative conservation strategies to promote more sustainable marine development.
Indonesia is a vast archipelago encompassing one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, which is a central part of the national economy. Like other countries, Indonesia faces numerous challenges in sustainably managing its valuable marine biodiversity and addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Celly leads USAID/Indonesia’s marine and fisheries portfolio, which supports marine biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of marine resources, and economic growth. She has been with USAID for more than 10 years and is responsible for overseeing the Mission’s five-year marine strategy.
Celly is passionate about marine conservation. Growing up in the coastal city of Tanjung Karang in Lampung Province on the southern part of the island of Sumatra, she spent weekends at the beach, swam and snorkeled among the fringing coral reefs, and fell in love with the marine environment. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in marine sciences from Institut Pertanian Bogor University and a Master of Science with a concentration in marine ecology from Aarhus University, she joined USAID Indonesia.
One activity under the Mission’s portfolio is the USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) project, which was completed in March 2021. The project applied an integrated approach to one fisheries management area in Indonesia, bringing together complementary management strategies, such as ecosystem approaches to fisheries management, marine protected areas (MPAs), marine spatial planning, and law enforcement.
Over the last five years, in partnership with the government, NGOs, and local communities, SEA built fisheries management models and supported marine protected areas in Eastern Indonesia, the center of Indonesia’s marine biodiversity. Under Celly’s oversight, USAID helped the Government of Indonesia develop and strengthen 1.6 million hectares into 14 separate marine protected areas, which included effective management plans, all of which have been officially endorsed by the government. Although some destructive and unsustainable fishing practices are still occurring, half of the MPAs are already showing visible improvements in coral cover and conditioning.
Celly is a strong advocate for sustainable conservation efforts that protect the rights of local people to access and benefit from their natural resources.
“We want to make sure that there will be a balanced effort between conservation and socioeconomic development, because many people depend on marine resources for their livelihoods,” she explains. One key challenge, she says, is closing the financing gap. To address this concern, USAID and other funders have supported Blue Abadi Fund to actively invest in local marine conservation organizations around the West Papua area to build long-term local stewardship of the marine environment.
Another project in USAID/Indonesia’s portfolio, the Supporting Nature and People–Partnership for Enduring Resources (SNAPPER) project, is improving the sustainability and profitability of the increasingly stressed snapper and grouper fisheries in the region. USAID and its partners are helping fishers transition to more sustainable practices by discouraging the catch of plate-sized immature fish that can risk the replenishment of the species. In addition, SNAPPER improves access to local and international markets by involving the whole supply chain in setting product standards. Several local and international seafood companies have already agreed to commit to a minimum trading size for Indonesian snapper and grouper.
During the implementation of the 2016-2021 marine strategy, Celly observed key lessons for sustaining results from USAID investment, such as alignment with host country government strategies, inclusiveness, networking with local and global experts, balancing conservation and socio-economic efforts, and investing in local people and organizations. The next five-year strategy will focus on ensuring MPAs deliver ecological and socio-economic benefits while continuing to enhance sustainable and equitable management of key fisheries.
Celly believes that USAID’s approach to supporting locally-led initiatives will ensure the sustainability of these conservation efforts.
“As host country nationals, we have more opportunities to understand the local context, and we already have the network to help us,” she says. “The Agency trusts us and provides us the opportunity to grow and to become leaders.”
