Nurul Dhewani Mirah Sjafrie, Udhi Eko Hernawan, Pramaditya Wicaksono, Doddy M. Yuwono, Novi Susetyo Adi, Muhammad Hafizt, Muhammad Banda Selamat, Bayu Prayudha, Setiawan Djody Harahap, Huwaida Nur Salsabila, Jennifer Wijaya, Sofia Yuniar Sani, Rohani Ambo-Rappe, Chris Roelfsema
Seagrass is globally important in supporting food security, mitigating climate change, and supporting biodiversity. Despite the growing conservation efforts, seagrass ecosystems remain under significant anthropogenic pressures, leading to degradation globally. Effective management strategies to reverse the degradation require comprehensive data and information regarding the current state of these ecosystems. Collecting seagrass data has been particularly challenging for a large archipelagic country, such as Indonesia, resulting in a fragmented and limited dataset scattered among various stakeholders. In this paper, we described how a multi-stakeholder collaboration could address the challenges associated with seagrass data collection in such regions, using Indonesia as a case study. We assessed the strategies employed to overcome the barriers and discussed the role of each party in the multi-stakeholder collaboration in improving the capacity for data collection, mapping, and monitoring seagrass ecosystems in Indonesia. The results showed that the strategy was effective, and the key factors include establishing partnerships, standardizing data collection methods, stakeholder mapping, and capacity building. In conclusion, this study proposed a seagrass data collection framework by promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration at a national level, which could be adapted for use in other countries facing similar challenges. The approach is expected to yield standardized and reliable nationwide data on seagrass ecosystems, thereby supporting effective management against the increasing anthropogenic pressures and rapid environmental change. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
National Research and Innovation Agency of Republic Indonesia, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 8, Jakarta Pusat, 10340, Indonesia; Faculty of Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sekip Utara, Kab. Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Directorate for Atlas and Geospatial Information Utilization, Deputy of Thematic Geospatial Information, Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) of Republic Indonesia, Jl. Raya Jakarta – Bogor Km. 46 Cibinong Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat, 16911, Indonesia; Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 16, Jakarta, Indonesia; Seagrass Restoration and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Marine Science Department, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan km.10 Tamalanre, South Sulawesi, Makassar, 90245, Indonesia; Department of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Jl. Mallengkeri Raya, Parang Tambung, Tamalate, South Sulawesi, Makassar, 90224, Indonesia; Research Centre for Public Policy, National Research and Innovation Agency of Republic Indonesia, Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto No. 10, Jakarta, 12710., Indonesia; Marine Ecosystems Monitoring Lab, School of The Environment, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
