The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia conducted EPANJI, or the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Management of Protected and/or Threatened Fish Species and Species Listed in the CITES Appendices, from 3–6 August 2026.
During the event, Yuliana Fitri Syamsuni, Deputy Director of YPI, and Meriussoni Zai, Program Director of YPI, represented Yayasan Penyu Indonesia (YPI) as members of the assessment team.
With experience in implementing sea turtle conservation and protection programmes across various locations in Indonesia, we had the opportunity to share data, information, and lessons learned from field conditions as part of the assessment process.
The EPANJI assessment is based on four main aspects:
- Input: assessing whether the foundations and management instruments for the species are available and adequate.
- Process: assessing the extent to which management activities have been implemented effectively.
- Output: examining the direct results of management activities.
- Outcome: assessing the impact of management on the status of the species and the sustainability of its utilisation.
Each aspect has assessment indicators tailored to the objectives and context of species management.
Yayasan Penyu Indonesia was part of the Reptile Working Group, which conducted the EPANJI assessment collaboratively with experts and specialists from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), WWF-Indonesia, and Yayasan Sealife Indonesia. Within this group, the assessment focused on Leatherback Turtles and Green Turtles.
The results of the 2026 EPANJI assessment concluded that the management of Green Turtles and Leatherback Turtles in Indonesia is classified as “sustainable”. The score for Green Turtle management was 77.79, while Leatherback Turtle management received a score of 71.13.
The assessment does not stop there. EPANJI 2026 produced recommendations that provide a basis for further strengthening sea turtle protection and management through stronger policies, funding, human resource capacity, protected areas, data collection, and ethical tourism management.
The “sustainable” status provides encouragement to continue improving and strengthening collaboration, so that efforts to protect sea turtles and other threatened species in Indonesia can continue to be enhanced.
