Jakarta, Aug. 6 -- Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono emphasized that Indonesia's marine conservation areas must be expanded to 97.5 million hectares by 2045.

"We strictly want Indonesia's marine conservation expansion to reach 97.5 million hectares in 2045," he remarked at the launch of the Indonesia Blue Food Assessment (BFA) and Indonesia Blue Economy Index (IBEI) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

As part of the blue economy policy for Golden Indonesia 2045, the ministry prioritizes the expansion of marine conservation areas to sustainably maintain marine ecology.

However, despite serving as habitats for marine biota to thrive, several conservation areas are still being violated.

To this end, the ministry targets ex...