Along with beefing up law enforcement, they are working with local communities to promote alternative livelihood programs, and have initiated training and awareness-building and other projects.

Location: Off the coast of Flores, eastern Indonesia

Signs of progress: The park (which is also a Man and Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site) covers 1,320 square kilometers of water and adjacent land areas. Reefs here exhibit exceptionally high fish species diversity (home to an estimated 900 to 1,000 fish species). The area is also home to many types of corals, sponges, and marine mammals. Fishing and tourism are major income generators in the area around the park. However, these resources have been under serious threat due to destructive fishing practices.

To combat overfishing and destructive fishing practices, The Nature Conservancy and the Komodo National Park (KNP) Authority developed a marine resource management plan, which is now in the early phase of implementation. Along with beefing up law enforcement, they are working with local communities to promote alternative livelihood programs, and have initiated training and awareness-building and other projects. These activities are paying off. For example, dynamite fishing went down from an average of more than 10 blasts per month in early 1996 to around one blast per month in late 1996 when routine park patrols were started. Fishermen are being encouraged, successfully, to shift their efforts to catching deeper-water species, keeping them off the reefs.