The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), the global charity which supports and promotes environmentally sustainable and socially responsible pole-and-line, handline and troll tuna fisheries has recently strengthened its Board of Trustees by appointing Mr. Mohammad Zulficar Mochtar, the Executive Director of Courage Consulting Indonesia and the Senior Advisor for Sustainable Fisheries at the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility in Indonesia.
The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), the global charity which supports and promotes environmentally sustainable and socially responsible pole-and-line, handline and troll tuna fisheries, has recently strengthened its Board of Trustees by appointing Mr. Mohammad Zulficar Mochtar, the Executive Director of Courage Consulting Indonesia and the Senior Advisor for Sustainable Fisheries at the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility in Indonesia.
M. Zulficar Mochtar has a wide range of government and non-profit experience. In previous roles he has served, amongst others, as the Director General of Capture Fisheries (DJPT) at Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) between 2018 and 2020, as the Chairman of the Agency form Research and Human Resource Development (BRSDM) at the MMAF as well as the Team Leader at the Coastal Communities Development Project of IFAD which was focused on poverty reduction and enhanced economic growth in coastal and small island communities in Indonesia.
Zulficar has joined Susan Imende of Kenya and Yinji Li of Japan as board members who have been appointed by IPNLF in 2021. IPNLF’s trustees are tasked, amongst other roles, to ensure that the charity carries out its purposes for the public benefit, and that its work is aligned with its charitable objectives of responsible resource use that ensures ocean biodiversity protection, while also safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities. IPNLF’s vision of creating a world with thriving fisheries that work in balance with nature by catching one fish at a time is particularly relevant with the current focus on the global need to build more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems. This was, for instance, a key theme at the recent UN Food Systems Summit, September 2021, which recognised the power of food systems to drive our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and get us back on track to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. As 2022 has been declared as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) the work of IPNLF will be more relevant than ever.
Pak Zulficar obtained an MSc in Sustainability Planning and Environmental Policy from Cardiff University, before returning to Indonesia where he has worked for more than 20 years in this country’s marine and fisheries sector. His high-level roles at MMAF, combined with his experience with government engagement and on-the-ground experience with Indonesian
fisheries issues, make him a great asset to IPNLF’s Board of Trustees.
Upon joining IPNLF’s board, Pak Zulficar stated “It is impossible to work alone anymore in this world. It is no longer realistic to work in a single country on tuna management. Every country is unique in its capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Therefore, sharing lessons learnt, knowledge, experiences, and workable models will ensure that we remain relevant and influential. I would, therefore, love to share my experiences with Indonesian fisheries and learn these same lessons from different countries to improve fisheries management all over the world.”
Welcoming their latest trustee, Martin Purves, Managing Director of IPNLF, says, “On behalf of the Board and the IPNLF team, I would like to thank Pak Zulficar for the enthusiasm and energy
he has already brought to our discussions. We look forward to his valuable expertise as we continue to pursue the implementation of our 5-year strategic plan, advocating for, and representing, one-by-one fishers all over the world.”
Pak Zulficar has taken his place on IPNLF’s Board of Trustees with immediate effect.