Protected marine areas make Indonesian villages more prosperous

A protected marine area not only improves biodiversity, but also increases the well-being of coastal villages in Indonesia. Master’s student Maite den Butter (Wageningen University) studied 1,373 villages in Papua and West Papua and demonstrates that nature conservation and human development can go hand in hand. “Well-being isn’t just about income or material growth,” says Den Butter. “It’s also about safety, a healthy environment, and strong community bonds.”

From feeling lost to meaningful research

“In the beginning, I felt pretty lost when choosing a thesis topic, which I think is something many Master’s students go through,” Den Butter explains. Conversations with professors led her to a major project on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Indonesia. “I wanted my thesis to be meaningful and genuinely useful to someone, even if only in a small way.”

The central question: do protected marine areas help or hinder?

Den Butter tackled a pressing question: what is the effect of Marine Protected Areas on the well-being of coastal communities? Using the Multidimensional Well-being Index—18 indicators ranging from access to drinking water to social cohesion—she analyzed village data over a period of 13 years. “I wanted to know whether nature conservation comes at the expense of local communities, or whether both can actually thrive together.”

Her research focused on the so-called Bird’s Head Seascape in Papua and West Papua, an area of 225,000 square kilometers with unparalleled marine biodiversity. Here, protected marine areas have been established with local communities since 2004.

Nickel mines versus nature conservation

In the Bird’s Head Seascape, Den Butter sees an important difference compared to other conservation projects. “Here, communities have been involved from the start in setting up MPAs. Their traditions, their way of using the ocean, and their rights were taken seriously. That creates stability and responsibility, instead of the conflicts that arise when protection is imposed from above.”

One example illustrates the tension in the region: “You can find nickel mines within Marine Protected Areas. This shows how national economic interests can sometimes overshadow the rights of local communities,” Den Butter explains. “But at the same time, West Papuans are successfully fighting back to protect their areas.”

From conflict to concrete benefits

When communities are genuinely involved in nature conservation, it delivers measurable results. Den Butter illustrates this with the example of Misool in Raja Ampat. “I suffer from insomnia, and on nights when I can’t sleep, I watch Our Planet.” In one episode, David Attenborough tells the story of this area, once a shark-finning site. “After it became an MPA, it turned into a nursery for baby sharks. In 2020, there were twenty-five times more sharks than ten years earlier.”

This ecological recovery goes hand in hand with measurable improvements in village well-being. ‘My research shows that villages near protected marine areas score significantly better on our well-being index,’ Den Butter explains. ‘The improvements are strongest in villages that have had protected areas the longest, suggesting that the benefits grow over time.’

Nature conservation as an investment

“Nature conservation is often seen as a brake on economic development,” says Den Butter. “But my research shows this is a false contradiction. Protected marine areas actually deliver economic and social benefits—from more stable fish catches to better health. The problem is that these advantages aren’t visible in traditional economic measures such as GDP.”

“For example, we don’t measure that children are healthier because they have better nutrition from the sea, or that community bonds grow stronger through joint management of marine areas,” she continues. “Cultural value too—like the preservation of traditional fishing practices—doesn’t count. Yet these ‘invisible’ benefits make all the difference to quality of life in coastal villages.”

On the basis of her findings, Den Butter advises policymakers worldwide: “Start by listening to local communities. When nature conservation and local development are addressed together, both ecosystems and communities can recover.”