The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in collaboration with Global Fishing Watch (GFW), has launched a two-day training activity from 22 to 23 September 2025 under the ASEAN ENMAPS project to equip marine protected area (MPA) site teams in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand with advanced tools for monitoring human activity at sea.
Held as part of the ongoing partnership between ACB and GFW, the training focuses on the use of the Marine Manager platform—a satellite-based tool that enables users to visualise and analyse vessel activity in and around MPAs. Accordingly, participants learned to set up and manage their own Marine Manager workspaces, interpret vessel-based data, and explore applications for marine spatial planning and enforcement.
“This training is a milestone in our shared commitment to transparent, science-based ocean governance,” said ACB Executive Director Jerome L. Montemayor in his welcome remarks. “By putting real-time data into the hands of site managers, we are strengthening local capacity to protect biodiversity, sustain fisheries, and support coastal communities.”
The ASEAN ENMAPS project—short for Effectively Managing Networks of Marine Protected Areas in Large Marine Ecosystems in the ASEAN Region—is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme with funding from the Global Environment Facility, and executed by the ACB. It aims to improve MPA network management through science-based strategies, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable financing.
Global Fishing Watch, an independent international non-profit, provides open-access map visualisations, datasets, and analysis tools to increase transparency of human activity at sea. The organisation’s mission is to transform ocean management by turning big data into actionable insights that support fairer, smarter policies and practices.
Through this training, ENMAPS site teams became proficient in:
- Accessing and visualising vessel activity using the GFW Map and Marine Manager platform
- Understanding the strengths and limitations of satellite-based technologies
- Applying data to site-level goals and marine spatial planning processes
- Exploring opportunities to scale these tools beyond the project phase
The training also fosters cross-country learning and collaboration, with participants sharing experiences and strategies for integrating technology into MPA management.
