Projects
Sulawesi Depth-Resolved Biodiversity Study
In collaboration with BRIN, IUCN, and the Australian Museum, this expedition will conduct the first systematic biodiversity survey of the Togean Islands in over two decades, generating a depth-resolved baseline to inform marine protected area management and conservation planning.
Project overview
BLUeDNA Institute will collaborate with a diverse expedition team to characterize marine biodiversity across reef-associated habitats in and around Togean National Park. The project pairs diver-tow sampling with technical mesophotic dives to approximately 75 meters, representing the first systematic survey of these deeper reef systems in the region.
The expedition targets a critical data gap in one of Indonesia’s largest marine protected areas, which has not been comprehensively surveyed since 2001 and is looking to create a formal management framework. By integrating eDNA sampling with visual surveys, the work will document species presence across depth zones, including rare and cryptic taxa, including the Critically Endangered Walea pygmy seahorse.
The resulting dataset will provide a defensible biodiversity baseline to inform marine protected area zoning, monitoring, and conservation planning in a region facing ongoing pressure from destructive fishing practices, including dynamite and cyanide fishing.
On Expedition
Data gaps and pressure on reefs
Togean National Park is home to Bajau communities whose livelihoods and cultural identity are closely tied to reef ecosystems, making reef condition and biodiversity directly relevant to local food security and traditional ways of life.
