there is no country on earth that might have a greater need than Indonesia to be concerned about its ocean space and resources. For centuries at a crossroad of the international trade, with geo-strategically located at the epicenter of global economy, forming the world’s largest archipelago (more than 17,500 island), and possessing the greatest marine biodiversity of any region of the world, Indonesia should be recognized as one of the most significant maritime nations.

Marine living resources have been a major food supply for most Indonesian people for centuries. Since early 1970’s, oil and gas, and other mineral resources have been tapped to support the country’s economic development. Although in the past, oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities were dominantly located on land, since the end of 1980’s they have mostly been taking place in coastal and ocean spaces. Moreover, Indonesia’s coastal and ocean ecosystems have many other functions for people’s daily life and economic development of the nation including sea transportation and communication, port and harbors, maritime industries, recreations and tourism, agro-industry and agribusiness development, cooling water for industries, waste assimilator, and conservation. The Indonesia’s seas also determine the dynamic of global climate including El-Nino, La-Nina, ENSO, and global warming; and the sustainability of global marine biodeversity.
Unfortunately as in man other parts of the world, the pace economic development has resulted in resource depletion and environmental degradation which have reached a level that threaten the sustainable capacity of some Indonesia’s coastal and ocean ecosystems.