As the tide retreated along the coast of Alor Island in eastern Indonesia, Mama Martha and her fellow conservationists stepped carefully through the mud, carrying young mangrove seedlings in their hands. What began as a personal mission has evolved into something far larger: a demonstration of how local stewardship can reshape marine resilience across an entire region.
Mama Martha founded the Kelompok Cinta Persahabatan—a women-led mangrove restoration initiative—alongside twelve of her friends, driven by years of living closely with the sea and witnessing changes along their coastline. Their work is physically demanding and deeply personal. Mangroves protect their villages from coastal erosion, support fisheries, and provide a source of security for the next generation. But their efforts have rippled far beyond Alor. In March 2026, their restoration work became part of a wider regional conversation when conservation partners gathered across the Coral Triangle for the SOMACORE Steering Committee Meeting, with Alor Marine Protected Area serving as one of the key field sites.
The visit brought together conservation organisations, universities, local authorities, and community representatives to reflect on how marine conservation is evolving. What distinguished the gathering was the genuine dialogue between science and tradition. Dr. Jahved Ferianto Maro, Vice Rector at Universitas Tribuana Kalabahi and manager of the University's Center of Excellence, emphasized that "the traditional scientific knowledge of communities is an important resource and expertise." The Center of Excellence has become a crucial meeting point between universities, local government, conservation organisations, and coastal communities in Alor, fostering discussions on everything from mangrove restoration to dugong conservation and waste management initiatives.
The momentum extends far beyond Alor. Supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment through the International Climate Initiative, the SOMACORE programme is working across priority seascapes in the Coral Triangle to strengthen resilience and sustainable marine conservation. In the Solomon Islands, communities from the Arnavon Community Marine Park participated in Green List self-assessments grounded in customary governance. In Papua New Guinea, field assessments in Lovongai and Murat marine protected areas highlighted the critical importance of Indigenous marine tenure systems and locally managed marine areas. These efforts represent a fundamental shift in regional conservation thinking—moving away from simply expanding protected areas toward improving how they are governed, managed, and sustained over time.
For Alor specifically, future opportunities are taking shape through sustainable financing mechanisms. Alor MPA is currently a pilot site under the proposed Coral Reef Bond Indonesia initiative, and the management team has already received preliminary orientation on the IUCN Green Listing process as a way to measure conservation effectiveness. What makes this model compelling is its foundation: it recognizes that lasting marine conservation emerges not from top-down mandates, but from women like Mama Martha and her community, who understand their seascape intimately and are committed to protecting it for generations to come.