(a) Maluku Province Government and AusIndoBIOCOM Seminar and Workshops on Small Islands Biosecurity Studies.

The Seminar and workshop were held in the 6^th-7^th August 2010 at the Maluku Governor’s Office and Conference Room and the AMANS Hotel in Ambon. The meeting was preceded by a meeting between AusIndoBIOCOM and local committee members with the Deputy Governor of Maluku. The Deputy Governor, on behalf of the Governor, endorsed the plan to work collaboratively to share experience about managing plant biosecurity at a community level.

Figure 1 Small Island Biosecurity Studies: (a) AusIndoBIOCOM meeting with the Deputy Governor of Maluku Province. (b) The opening of Seminar at the Governor of Maluku’s Conference Hall in Ambon.

The event was collaboratively organized by the AusIndoBIOCOM Research Consortium (www.AusIndoBIOCOM.net) and the Maluku Provincial Government. 49 people, mainly government officials, community delegates, Pattimura University lecturers and researchers, as well as the AusIndoBIOCOM core researchers attended. Local representatives, AusIndoBIOCOM core researchers[1] from Indonesia, and two representatives[2] from CDU/CRC Plant Biosecurity, facilitated the workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to begin the implementation phase of the CRC model through a province-wide strategy for managing the considerable biosecurity problems presented to the meeting. Some of the biosecurity issues brought to the meeting are pictured below.

Figure 2 Examples of plant diseases in Maluku

Topics discussed: ______________________________________________________________________________
Session 1: Opening Remarks
Topic: Development Challenges in the Province of Maluku, including:

• Maluku’s conditions as an archipelagic island.
• Policy development in the archipelago.

Speaker: Deputy Governor of Maluku Province, Republic of Indonesia.

Session 2: Panel Discussion
Topic 1: Biosecurity: Shared Challenges for Indonesia and Australia, including:

• Developing a partnership between Maluku Province and Australian research connections related to biosecurity.
• Strategies required to build a synergetic collaboration concerning biosecurity management for Maluku Province

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Ian Falk (Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia).
• Prof. Dr. Robert Oszaer (Deputy Rector for Academic Affairs, Universitas Pattimura).

Moderator: Prof. Dr. Tonny Pariela (Universitas Pattimura, Ambon).

Topic 2: Overviews to the Issues and Policies related to biosecurity management in Maluku, including:

• Biosecurity issues in Maluku.
• Challenges and obstacles in dealing with biosecurity management issues in Maluku
• Requiremtns of Strategic approaches for biosecurity management programs in Maluku.

Speakers:

• Mr. James Watumlawar, SP, MP (Agriculture Service, Maluku Barat Daya District).
• Mr. Markus Pirsouw, SP (Agriculture Service, Seram Bagian Barat District).
• Mr. Pieter Kortelu, SP, MP (Agriculture Service, Maluku Tenggara Barat District)

Moderator: Theofransus Litaay, SH, LLM. (AusIndoBIOCOM)

Workshop Facilitators:

• I Wayan Mudita, M.Sc. (AusIndoBIOCOM).
• Prof. Dr. Kaler Surata (AusIndoBIOCOM).
• Dr John Tasirin (AusIndoBIOCOM).
• Dr Marthen Ndoen (AusIndoBIOCOM).

______________________________________________________________________________

Through the workshop, the presenters outlined the key issues related to biosecurity in the region. This was the first time that local people had the opportunity to collaborate about this topic and plan approaches to mitigate plant biosecurity problems in the region. A small collaborative project was announced as part of the implementation through education strategy undertaken by the CRC Plant Biosecurity Community Management Project Team. The workshop established the strategies for the three regions in the Province for managing biosecurity. The outcome of this project will be the implementation of the biosecurity management model across the Province.

Figure 3 Workshops focus group discussion: (a) Ruth Wallace and Theo Litaay in a focus group discussing an educational biosecurity project with the researchers from Pattimura University of Ambon; and (b) Wayan Mudita facilitating workshop for implementing the CRC biosecurity model.

In summary, the 8-points of the outcomes of the seminar and workshops are:

1. Knowledge dissemination on biosecurity issues and policies in Maluku as an archipelago province, especially the present condition of Maluku Barat Daya District, Maluku Tenggara Barat District, and Seram Barat District.
2. Harmonizing existing strategies and policies of district agricultural departments, the provincial agriculture department, related agricultural organizations, Pattimura University’s Faculty of Agriculture, Pattimura University’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Pattimura University’s Faculty of Law, AusIndoBIOCOM research team, and the CRC NPB.
3. Maluku is identified as an area for AusIndoBIOCOM biosecurity management model to be implemented, which will occur collaboratively between Maluku Provincial Government, Maluku District Governments, local universities and AusIndoBIOCOM Research Consortium.
4. Biosecurity strategy elements developed for Maluku, particularly aspects of the working structure and process that is underway, and related sectors in three districts, which are: Seram Barat, Maluku Tenggara Barat District, and Maluku Barat Daya District. The development also includes governance aspects, local knowledge, participation, policies and activities.
5. Policy implications formulated on biosecurity strategy to be integrated through the exchange of ideas during the process of bonding, bridging and linking between communities, governments and universities.
6. The development of a framework that connects various biosecurity sectors between government, universities and community.
7. The development of educational materials that aim to introduce biosecurity from early age in cooperation with Pattimura University and Maluku Province government.
8. Another workshop scheduled in three months in Maluku Province to discuss the development of biosecurity policy implementation established in the discussion groups.

In addition to the current Managing Biosecurity across Borders book currently being published by Springer, another book in the Springer ‘Biosecurity Series’ has been approved in principle, and this book will focus on Implementation Case Studies of Biosecurity Management, with a participatory methodological theme throughout.

(b) International Symposium on Small Island and Coral Reefs (ISSIC)

Members of the AusIndoBIOCOM/CRC National Plant Biosecurity research team, including lecturers and PhD students, attended and presented at the International Symposium on Small Island and Coral Reefs (ISSIC), which was held in Ambon from the 4^th-5^th of August 2010. Figure 4 The International Symposium on Small Island and Coral Reefs (ISSIC) in Ambon: (a) “Ambon Statement” is being declared by the Deputy Governor of Maluku Province as the result of the International Symposium on Small Island and Coral Reefs (ISSIC). (b) Plenary Session of the International Symposium on Small Island and Coral Reefs (ISSIC) in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia.

The objective of the conference is to share knowledge, information and experiences in management, academic studies, and contemporary approaches for coral reef ecosystem management. The main objective of the workshop is to focus on the emerging effort needed to ensure the sustainability of small island development when balanced with ecosystem health and social justice for island communities. An additional objective will be to ensure that action plans are made that will respond to climate change impacts on small islands, as identified at the World Ocean Conference of 2009. Presentations made by Members of the AusIndoBIOCOM/CRC National Plant Biosecurity research team were:

1. Falk, I. (2010). Holistic and integrated policy and strategy for managing change in complex situations. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th August.
2. Mudita, I. W., Natonis, R. L., & Wallace, R. (2010). Food security in a warming globe: Safeguarding small island communities from increasing biosecurity threats. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th
3. Mampouw, H. L. (2010). Exploration of local context in small islands and its application in learning activity: Case study of Rote Island and Timor Island in NTT. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th
4. Litaay, T. & Nendissa, J. I. (2010). Coastal area transformation and the need for management policy. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th August.
5. Wallace, R. & Ndoen, M. (2010). Recognising the value of local knowledge on food security and enterprise development in coastal communities: Case studies from Rote and Northern Australia. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th August.
6. Surata, S. P. K. & Setiawan, I. P. T. A. (2010). Local food ecoliteracy: A strategy for building ecotone between ethno-culture and scientific knowledge of food security. Presented at the International Small Island Conference, Ambon, 5^th August. August. August.

A third book or journal edition is underway which will bring together papers from this conference.