INCEPTION WORKSHOP

OPENING OF THE MEETING
An one-day inception meeting was convened on 9th May 2017 at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Jakarta, to
mark the commencement of the project operations and provide the basis for initiating the project
start-up activities and arrangements. The Agenda is provided in Annex I and the participant list is
provided in Annex II.
The project was opened by representatives of the FAO Representation in Indonesia (Ageng Herianto),
the Indonesia GEF Operational Focal Point (Laksmi Dhewanthi) and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and
Fisheries (Toni Ruchimat). The opening speeches noted the commitment of Indonesia to the RAMSAR
convention and the policies that have been laid out in the Indonesia Biodiversity action Plan (IBSAP).

The importance of inland freshwater ecosystems was highlighted, both in terms of ecosystem services
and also food security. There has been a strong focus on improving sustainable management of marine
capture fishery management, but less so on inland fisheries. There are currently few management plans
in place that specifically address sustainable management of inland fisheries and even fewer covering
inland freshwater ecosystems.

Indonesia has considerable freshwater resources that have the potential to provide livelihoods and food
security for future generations, but these must be managed carefully to ensure that their integrity is
sustained. There are increasing pressures and threats facing these ecosystems from freshwater
abstraction and conversion of aquatic ecosystems for farming and agriculture. The project will
contribute to more holistic and balanced planning and development which will contribute to greater
protection of aquatic ecosystems and their sustainable management.