Nesha Ichida is program manager of ReShark’s StAR Project Indonesia.
Ichida specialises in shark and ray research and conservation, marine protected area management, and community-based conservation in the Savu Sea area of eastern Indonesia.
The StAR Project is the first initiative as part of ReShark, an international partnership which has brought together over 90 organisations to reestablish shark and ray populations in their native ranges. For the StAR Project Indonesia, zebra sharks are being raised by partnering organisations, before being tagged and released into the open sea when they have grown to approximately 70-80cm. The first pups were released in early 2023 and will be monitored every two to three months.
Ichida is program manager of StAR Project Indonesia and also serves as co-chair of the steering committee. The project is led by the West Papua Provincial Government and the Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, and is run by Thrive Conservation, an NGO which works to develop projects which address critical conservation issues in Indonesia while championing early-career conservationists.
Ichida has been working for Thrive Conservation since 2017, where her role includes researching manta rays and whale sharks using a variety of techniques such as dive surveys, genetic sampling and satellite tagging; engaging with local communities, and relationship management with key stakeholders.
Ichida has also founded two community initiatives, Divers Clean Action and Laut Community iLab.
She founded Divers Clean Action with M. Adi Septiono and Swietenia Puspa Lestari, to map marine debris using citizen science. The organisation has worked with over 11,000 volunteers since it was established in 2015, and has become increasingly youth-driven. Ichida now advises Divers Clean Action as it undertakes research, training, community projects, and CSR collaborations.
Laut Community iLab works to empower communities and use their local knowledge to develop marine environmental projects. Ichida founded the lab in 2018 in collaboration with Anissa Megia Sari from the Misool Foundation.