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Updated: May 28, 2026

An Integrated Micro-Device System for Coral Growth and Monitoring
Published on: July 21, 2023
Distributional effects of marine conservation on coastal livelihoods in Eastern Indonesia
Duong Trung Le1,2,3, Gabby N Ahmadia4, Indah Anggriyani Ratih5
1The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA. dle6@worldbank.org.
Abstract:
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely adopted to conserve marine biodiversity, yet their distributional impacts on resource-dependent communities remain underexplored. This study investigates socioeconomic inequality linked to MPAs in eastern Indonesia using a quasi-experimental design and multi-round household surveys of over 10,000 households across 180 coastal settlements in 10 MPAs (2010-2017). We assess poverty through objective (asset-based index) and subjective (perceived economic trends) measures. Findings reveal overall poverty reduction and persistent pre-existing inequalities by gender, age, occupation, and tenure rights. MPAs did not cause short-term economic losses or widen objective inequality but constrained perceived economic improvement, particularly among female-headed households. Community engagement moderated these effects: gender disparities were greater where female participation in groups was low. These findings suggest that promoting inclusive participation can help ensure more equitable conservation outcomes.
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