Coastal communities need empowerment, Sarwono says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs to draw up a development model
\nspecifically for coastal communities because they have been
\nimpoverished by current economic development programs, State
\nMinister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday.<\/p>\n
"The exploitation of the coasts and seas tend to ignore the
\nbiological diversity, and leads to a decline in income of coastal
\ncommunities," Sarwono said in a keynote address at a two-day
\nworkshop on development models for coastal people.<\/p>\n
Ironically, while the sea and coasts contribute to about 22
\npercent of Indonesia's gross domestic product, the people living
\nin these areas remain poor, he said.<\/p>\n
He said such a model should empower coastal communities. Their
\nincreased prosperity in turn would encourage them to better
\nsafeguard their surrounding environment.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said in drawing up the new model, experts have to take
\ninto account several factors.<\/p>\n
These include the use of natural resources without destroying
\nthe environment; partnerships involving the public, government,
\nnon-governmental organizations and the business circle; more
\nenvironmental-friendly methods of exploiting natural resources;
\nthe creation of markets for them; and the involvement of coastal
\ncommunities in safeguarding these resources.<\/p>\n
During the workshop, three activists from Sulawesi warned that
\nstereotyping coastal communities has made it even more difficult
\nfor people to understand these people.<\/p>\n
"Stereotypes lessen our sensitivity to the diverse problems of
\ncoastal communities," said Arief Wicaksono, in a paper written
\ntogether with Moudy Gerungan, both coastal community workers in
\nNorth Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Before empowerment, the identities of these people must be
\nclear, he said. A study of the familiarity and ability of the
\nlocal administrations regarding public participation models is
\nalso needed, he said.<\/p>\n
Local policies on resources related to coasts and coral reefs,
\nspatial plans and access of local people to information on
\npolicies and spatial plans are also important in developing
\ncommunity development models, he said.<\/p>\n
Sufri Laode from the Institute of Rural, Coast and Societal
\nStudies (LP3M) in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, said different
\nislands have different specializations in their fish-catching
\ntechnology, a difference which is often ignored in various
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
Arief quoted a 1990 study on improvement efforts of fishing
\ncommunities in developing countries, which stated that
\ncooperatives, which is the general approach in Indonesia, are
\nmostly enjoyed by established groups in the community.<\/p>\n
Sufri told the workshop that 11 fishing communities in South
\nSulawesi which they work with have difficulties in reducing
\ndependence on their employers.<\/p>\n
"We tried to improve the management of these employers,
\nparticularly regarding the administration and access to formal
\nfinancial institutes," Sufri said.<\/p>\n
In the last two years they only managed to convince two of
\nnine employers to cooperate with their organization to improve
\ntheir managements. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coastal-communities-need-empowerment-sarwono-says-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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