Summary/History
Indonesia consists of a network of more than 17,500 volcanic islands sitting either side of the equator, of which more than 150 are active. Indonesia's islands support regionally and globally important breeding colonies of at least 15 seabird species (de Korte, 1991). Historical records since the early 20th century suggest severe fluctuations in breeding numbers (de Korte, 1984), although surveys during the last thirty years suggest marked declines, with all Pelecaniforme breeding colonies in West Indonesia now extinct (de Korte, 1991). In East Indonesia, islands in the Flores and Banda Seas retain the largest colonies in Southeast Asia (de Korte, 1991). Burung Laut Indonesia (BirdLife Partner) have conducted pelagic seabird surveys annually since 2009, within the key breeding, migrating and foraging areas throughout Indonesia. This is raising the profile of seabird conservation in Indonesia. A separate survey of four key colonies in the Banda Sea was conducted in 2009, with mixed results (de Jong, 2011). On Manuk, breeding seabird numbers had declined significantly since de Korte's 1981 survey, whilst on Gunung Api, an unspoiled, intact island, numbers have increased since de Korte's (1991) findings. Both Manuk and Gunung Api are protected, but in practice there is no enforcement or management plan. Moromaho is protected within the Wakatobi Marine National Park, and colony numbers were similar to those in the 1980's. Suanngi also had similar numbers to the 1980's, but is not currently protected and there is some human activity on the island. The mixed results for these key colonies highlight the need for regular monitoring of the islands. In addition, there are also potentially many new areas to survey, which may reveal some new breeding sites. Burung is currently undertaking a Protected Areas (PA) gap analysis for the government. In the terrestrial environment IBAs are the only good quality data to compare against the PA network, but for marine habitats, good data on coral reefs, turtle nesting beaches and cetacean distribution is used to compare to the MPA network. At the moment, seabird data has not been considered in this gap analysis. While Burung may not lead on marine IBA work they are well placed to facilitate the gathering of seabird data by other organisations within Indonesia.
The key threats to seabirds in Indonesia comprise:
o Egg harvesting and poaching of adults
o Human disturbance, encroachment and habitat modification (e.g., removal of trees with which to build boats, and replacement with crop plants such as coconut, banana and cassava destroys breeding sites for tree-nesting seabirds such as Pelicaniformes and noddies)
o Introduced rats
o Fishing practices

National priorities
The key priority species for research and designation of marine IBAs in Indonesia are the Christmas Island Frigatebird (CR), Abbott's Booby (EN), Chinese Crested Tern (CR), Streaked Shearwater (regional endemic), and noddy and booby species that may act as indicators.
Indonesia's national priorities comprise:
o Conducting annual monitoring of current breeding seabird colonies, with particular focus on Chinese Crested Tern
o Updating range map for Christmas Island Frigatebird to incorporate recent knowledge and search for non-breeding roost islands
o Identifying key non-breeding sites for Streaked Shearwater using tracking data and boat-based surveys
o Identifying key likely sites for Abbott's Booby off the coast of Java with help of tracking data
o Exploring the possibility of tracking booby species in the region in future
o Determining the status of Aleutian Terns wintering in Indonesia, Malaysia and the South China Sea
o Using existing tracking data for some species to narrow search area for non-breeding congregations of other species
o Adding information to the Protected Areas gap analysis about the absence of seabird data within the project
o Facilitating other organisations within Indonesia to work on seabirds
o Creating seabird identification cards for priority species and distribute with fishermen/yachts/cruise ships etc.
o Undertaking seabirds identification training days (possibly using the existing Hong Kong water birds day as a model)
o Establishing a regional colony register (perhaps best done through the framework for a global colony register discussed at the first world seabird conference in Canada in 2010).
o Developing funding proposals for aspects of the above as appropriate

Government's support/relevant policy
In Indonesia there are more than 100 MPAs in total, but they have all effectively been established on the basis of non-seabird marine taxa and habitats. Some MPAs are managed by the Ministry of Forestry, some by Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and there is little dialogue between the two. Please see policy tab for list of agreements that this country is party to.

References
Brickle N. (2009). Investigating pelagic seabird foraging and passage in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia. Pacific Seabirds 36 (1): 23
BirdLife International (2010). 1st Asian Marine IBA Workshop Report. Held 14-16 April 2010, JICA Chikyu-hiroba, Tokyo, Japan. BirdLife International internal report.
De Jong, G. (2011) Survey of Pelecaniform Seabird Colonies in East Indonesia. Progress Report to BirdLife International. BirdLife International internal report.
de Korte, J. (1984) Status and Conservation of Seabird Colonies in Indonesia. In: Croxall, J.P., Evans, P. G. H. and Schrieber, R. W. (1984). Status and Conservation of the World's Seabirds. International Council for Bird Preservation, Technical Publication No. 2. pp.527-545
de Korte, J. (1989) Threats to Indonesian seabird colonies. Conservation Biology 3: 336-337
de Korte, J. (1991) Status and Conservation of Indonesia's Seabird Colonies. In: Croxall, J.P. ed. (1991). Seabird: Status and Conservation: A Supplement. International Council for Bird Preservation, Technical Publication No. 11. pp.225-247
Rainor C.R., Imanuddin, Aldy F., Verbelen P. and Walker J.S. (2009). The birds of Wetar, banda Sea: one of Indonesia's forgotten Islands. BirdingASIA 12: 78-93