| Grantee | Yayasan Rekam Jejak Alam Nusantara ↗ |
| Grant Amount | 375,000 |
| Duration | Three Years |
Poor compliance, especially in developing countries that lack the capacity and resources for effective monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS), is being the reason why unsustainable fishing, destructive fishing, and illegal wildlife trade still remain the main threats to Indonesia’s marine biodiversity and fisheries resources. Law enforcement to combat those threats was mainly applied case-by-case, failing to address the root cause of the problem, such as the involvement of business institutions or corporate networks, or the lack of integration with fisheries management frameworks. There are some success stories on the enforcement of anti-money laundering (AML) law in handling wildlife crime cases for mid and high-level perpetrators, where the case has set a positive precedent for police investigators and prosecutors in Indonesia. The enforcement of AML law can help the government shut down illegal operations in marine fisheries and wildlife trade more effectively, and therefore, is expected to efficiently improve fisheries management in Indonesia. The implementation of this project focuses on Indonesia’s Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 712 and 713 as hotspots and hubs for illegal fishing practices and illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia. Four key solutions will be implemented to address these issues, including (i) assessing and mapping the illegal 'corporate' network and operations; (ii) improving fisheries policies, regulation, and action in implementing the AML law; (iii) strengthening the capacities of law enforcement officers in implementing the regulation against corporate networks; and (iv) strengthening the implementation of existing regulation against corporate networks to trace the flow of financial transactions originating from illegal businesses. The reduction of the network of illegal fishing activities and illegal wildlife trade in these areas is expected to have a wider impact at the national level, especially for areas that have connected networks of illegal fishing and illegal wildlife trade to the FMA 712 and 713. The success of this project will also increase the authorities' understanding on the illegal fishing and illegal wildlife trade schemes and networks, while at the same time, encourage the improvement of policy, regulation, and actions at the national level.
