Clean Energy and Conservation Synergy Boost Coastal Communities' Welfare
Coastal communities play a vital role in driving Indonesia’s blue economy. Unfortunately, the immense potential of the marine, aquaculture, and fishery sectors has not yet translated into stable incomes for these populations. Many remain trapped in economic uncertainty despite their significant contribution to the nation’s economic value.
Data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries indicates that fishery export values are projected to reach US$6.27 billion in 2025. Furthermore, Indonesia’s coasts store 3.1 billion tonnes of mangrove carbon, making it one of the world’s largest green bastions. However, limitations in cold storage facilities, processing capacity, logistics infrastructure, and market access mean that much of this economic value is not fully enjoyed by the local producing communities.
In response to these conditions, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), working alongside Conservation Indonesia and various partners—including the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF) and GIZ—is supporting coastal communities in Maluku to identify local needs. The initiative aims to develop solutions that strengthen livelihoods, enhance community resilience, and protect the marine ecosystems that sustain their lives.
Speaking in Menteng, Central Jakarta, Rizky Fauxtiano, Indonesia Country Lead for GEAPP, stated that Indonesia’s coastal communities possess the resources, knowledge, and economic potential required to thrive. “The challenge is to ensure that investments in clean energy, infrastructure, market access, and ecosystem management are integrated so that communities can derive greater economic value from the products they create,” he said.
In many fishing villages, fishermen often return from sea with abundant catches. However, limited access to ice, cold storage facilities, and reliable transport forces them to sell their catch as quickly as possible at lower prices. In some regions, post-harvest losses can reach 30–50%. A similar situation affects seaweed farmers; of Indonesia’s total seaweed production of 10.8 million tonnes in 2024, most is still exported as dried raw material rather than being processed into value-added products domestically.
Reliable energy availability is key to overcoming these challenges. In many remote islands and parts of Eastern Indonesia, communities still rely on diesel generators, with fuel supplies needing to be transported via long sea routes. This makes electricity expensive and vulnerable to supply disruptions. Implementing clean energy solutions tailored to local needs can support ice production, cold storage, fishery processing, refrigeration systems, digital connectivity, healthcare, and small business development.
By enabling products to be stored longer and marketed more optimally, access to reliable energy can help communities reach higher-value markets while building a stronger, more sustainable local economy. This initiative is realised through an approach titled “Sun to Sea,” which links energy use for productive activities with the strengthening of sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem management.
Improving access to reliable energy to support the cold chain and other productive activities can reduce post-harvest losses, decrease pressure on fishery resources, and create more sustainable long-term livelihoods for coastal communities. A healthy coastal ecosystem is equally important; mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs contribute to fishery productivity, protect coastlines from abrasion and extreme weather, and serve as the primary support for local livelihoods.
This initiative aligns with Indonesia’s national development priorities, including the ‘Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih’ (Red and White Fishing Village) programme and the 100GW Village Solarisation programme.
“Our greatest opportunity lies in connecting these various investments at the community level. When energy, livelihoods, market access, conservation, and community resilience are designed to be interconnected, each will support the others in a way that cannot be achieved through isolated projects,” said Rizky.
As an initial step, partners will support several pilot communities to test and refine a development model led by local residents. Support through catalytic grants and philanthropic funding is expected to generate early learnings, reduce implementation risks, and strengthen community capacity. Once the model is proven effective, it is hoped that the government, development finance institutions, businesses, and investors will support the replication of these scalable solutions across various coastal regions in Indonesia.