Protecting the ocean costs money. The question is who should pay.
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As traditional aid and development funding for marine conservation shrinks, many marine protected areas struggle to function beyond paper promises. Patrols, monitoring and community support all need long-term finance solutions, rather than a series of short-term donations.
Using Indonesia’s East Bintan Marine Protected Area as an example, this discussion will draw on the experience of Nikoi Island and Cempedak Island, two privately run islands exploring different ways to support local MPA management. Their work raises bigger questions about responsibility, power and fairness in ocean protection.
The panel will discuss how conservation can move beyond donor-led models towards practical approaches that channel funding from those who benefit from healthy seas into the systems that protect them.
Join us if you are curious about how ocean protection actually works, and what needs to change to make it last.
Meet the Panel:
Lilly Milligan Gilbert is an investor and advisor building systems that make nature economically and culturally legible, across conservation, investment and creative projects.
She is currently supporting development of the East Bintan Marine Protected Area in Indonesia, working with government agencies, NGOs and private sector partners to establish long-term financing and governance for marine conservation. She also works with Wild Venture XR, developing immersive nature-based experiences that reconnect people with the natural world, and advises on impact investing and nature-based initiatives across Southeast Asia and Europe. The focus of her work is to help projects move beyond short-term solutions to build structures that allow nature, communities and economies to thrive together.
Siti Maryam Yaakub is the Director of the Blue Carbon Institute and an expert in blue carbon, climate finance and coastal ecosystem governance. Her work focuses on unlocking finance for mangroves, seagrass and coastal ecosystems through carbon markets, policy frameworks and innovative funding mechanisms.
Siti has worked extensively with governments, conservation organisations and the private sector across Indonesia and the wider region to integrate blue carbon into national climate strategies and marine management plans. She is actively involved in advancing practical pathways for blue carbon to support marine protected areas and community-based conservation at scale.
Amandine Vuylsteke, a Swiss army knife of marine conservation with nearly a decade of experience working across the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, Amandine started her marine biology journey aged 7 after watching Free Willy. Inspired by the strong-minded female scientist in the film, she went to forge a career in marine protection, particularly in the ocean-based tourism industry where she identified a knowledge gap between the scientific community and tourist operators.
Amandine has led conservation programmes within the tourism sector, specialising in sea turtle protection, coral reef restoration, biodiversity monitoring and environmental education, often bridging science with the public, transforming research into experiences that inspire action. She is a mentor of multidisciplinary teams and collaborates with universities, NGOs and regional conservation authorities.
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• This is a complimentary experience open to members and guests.
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• 48-hour cancellation policy applies.
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