The Government of Indonesia and The Republic of Korea initiated in 2022 a collaborative pilot project in the waters of Bontang, East Kalimantan Province, where selected subsea structures were retained as a permanent habitat after fulfilling all safety, environmental, and decommissioning requirements. This approach offers an opportunity to integrate biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, marine spatial planning, the blue economy, climate change mitigation, and area-based conservation through Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).

The 2026 CBD COP provides a strategic opportunity to showcase Indonesia's experience in (i) linking the offshore oil and gas sector with marine biodiversity conservation; (ii) integrating offshore platform decommissioning with ecosystem restoration; (iii) supporting the implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; (iv) expanding conservation areas through the OECM approach; and (v) strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration among government institution, the oil and gas industry, academia, and local community.