UNSW, The Research Institute for Coastal Aquaculture (RICA) and Gadjah Mada University celebrated over 10 years of research partnership on sustainable, brackishwater aquaculture funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia. The celebration took place on 28 January 2009 in South Sulawesi, and was attended by stakeholders from various government organisations and shrimp farming communities.

Dr Jesmond Sammut, the Australian Project leader of the ACIAR-funded work said, “The event was held to celebrate the success of the partnership model and to highlight the achievement of the various projects. During the last 10 years we have built significant research capacity to support the restoration of thousands of hectares of formerly abandoned shrimp and fish farms. The projects have also developed site selection criteria and planning tools to help farmers and government agencies to target development in suitable areas thereby minimising environmental and social impacts.”

“Our projects have helped farming communities, NGOs, research institutes and extension agencies in the provinces of South Sulawesi, South East Sulawesi, Aceh, Lampung and parts of Java. In 1998 we established a national soil testing laboratory and coastal mapping centre to support aquaculture management in Indonesia. The facilities created by the ACIAR project, with support from the Government of Indonesia, have continued to expand and now provide research services to many other projects.”

Dr Akhmad Mustafa, local Project leader and UNSW graduate said, “The ACIAR projects have enabled the Government of Indonesia to strategically plan coastal development and to remediate formerly disused aquaculture ponds. The capacity building of the research institutes, technical implementation units and extension services has underpinned the Government’s programs to revitalise the industry and protect the coastal environment from over development.”

ACIAR Aquaculture Project Website

Aceh Capacity Building Project Website

Contacts: Dr Jes Sammut, +61 2 9385 8281 in Australia or Dr Akhmad Mustafa, +62 411 371 544 in Indonesia