Ecobiz.asia — The Coral Triangle Center (CTC) has signed a five-year partnership with Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the Netherlands’ national research institute for biodiversity and natural history, to strengthen marine science, training and conservation efforts in Indonesia and the wider Coral Triangle.
CTC announced the partnership on its official website, as cited Wednesday (Sept. 2, 2026).
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Leiden, the Netherlands, on June 18, 2026, by CTC Executive Director Rili Djohani and Maaike van de Kamp-Romijn, Deputy General Director and Director of Research & Education at Naturalis.
The agreement focuses on strengthening human-resource capacity in marine science, conducting joint research and applying technology, as well as expanding data sharing and knowledge exchange between the two institutions.
The five-year partnership reflects the organizations’ shared commitment to sustainable marine management and the protection of Indonesia’s coral reef ecosystems, while strengthening international cooperation on long-term marine conservation.
Under the agreement, CTC and Naturalis will conduct activities in Ambon and the Banda Islands, the Lease Islands in Maluku Province, and Nusa Penida in Bali.
Planned activities include a workshop in the Banda Islands featuring hands-on training in DNA barcoding techniques. The partners also plan to produce joint scientific publications on species diversity in collaboration with students and faculty members from the University of Banda Neira and Pattimura University.
Water-quality monitoring will be another focus of the partnership. Activities will include training on sampling methods, collection of data on biophysical water-quality indicators and the development of spatial water-quality reports, including recommendations to address marine pollution.
The partnership also includes the development of joint educational materials and training resources for marine protected-area monitoring.
University students will have opportunities to gain practical experience through conservation activities, including surveys, monitoring, coral restoration and socioeconomic data collection. ***
