What's at stake?
A remote marine protected area in Central Sulawesi, within the Coral Triangle at the global centre of marine biodiversity, Kepulauan Togean holds coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves and small-island ecosystems. Its waters sustain the livelihoods and traditions of the Bajau communities long connected to them. Yet it is one of the least documented MPAs in the region, with no comprehensive survey since 2002 and lasting pressure from destructive fishing.
Communities involved
Engagement and training with the Bajau communities are built into field activities, with graduate students leading sampling and analysis, and a focus on local capacity for future biodiversity monitoring.
Science plan summary
Main scientific question: How has biodiversity changed relative to historical records and why, how does it vary with the wet and dry monsoons, and how does eDNA complement visual surveys?
Localities sampled (number not stated): Sites near the last confirmed Hippocampus waleananus record, plus a range of reef habitats and depths; one extra site near Kadidiri if the village wants to take part
Why there: Supports partner surveys and community participation
Sampling dates: Every 3–4 months, aligned with partner surveys (no fixed months)
Why then: Wet and dry monsoons change rainfall, runoff, salinity, turbidity and circulation, and many reef fish spawn and recruit seasonally. The team also expects seasonal effects on how eDNA is transported and detected. The northwest monsoon (Nov–Feb) can limit boat access.
About our site
Kepulauan Togean National Park is a remote marine protected area in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, located within the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. The park encompasses coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and small island ecosystems that support exceptionally high marine diversity and sustain the livelihoods and cultural traditions of the Bajau communities who have lived closely connected to these waters for generations.
Despite its ecological importance, the region remains one of the least documented marine protected areas in the Coral Triangle, with no comprehensive biodiversity surveys conducted since 2002. Historical and ongoing pressures, including destructive fishing practices and climate-related reef stress, have altered marine habitats across the region. Indonesian researchers and local partners are working to strengthen long-term conservation and monitoring efforts.
“The eDNA Expeditions project will establish long-term eDNA monitoring in one of the Coral Triangle’s least documented marine protected areas, detecting species that traditional methods overlook and building the data to guide conservation.”
What we plan to achieve
Through eDNA Expeditions, the Kepulauan Togean National Park site will establish a long-term eDNA marine biodiversity monitoring program in shallow coastal habitats in one of the Coral Triangle’s least documented marine protected areas. Repeated eDNA sampling will be conducted alongside concurrent biodiversity surveys and mesophotic exploration efforts, allowing molecular datasets to be directly compared with visual observations and specimen-based records collected across the same sites.
By pairing standardized eDNA monitoring with ongoing field surveys, the project aims to better understand how biodiversity differs across habitats and depths, strengthen detection of species that are easily overlooked by traditional methods, and build temporal datasets that can support future monitoring and conservation planning. The work will also contribute to broader efforts to document data deficient marine biodiversity within the park.
The project is being carried out collaboratively with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and includes graduate student-led research focused on sampling coordination, biodiversity analysis, data management, and long-term monitoring design. Local community participation and training, including engagement with Bajau communities, are also being integrated into field activities to help build local capacity for future biodiversity monitoring efforts in the region.