Increasing the acknowledgement of community sovereignty in coastal and marine resources

Coastal environmental degradation as well as poverty and marginalization of coastal communities are widespread in Indonesia. Coastal and marine resource management policies are inconsistent and are still mostly terrestrial based. Policy overlapping, caused by the sectoral approach applied by the government in designing natural resource management, is one of the main reasons. During N&P Phase I, WALHI has worked to widen the basic reference material containing simple information regarding coastal and marine environmental issues, especially those related to marine conservation, illegal fishing, industrial aquaculture, ecological disasters, and poverty, and has used this for environmental advocacy. The thus produced materials are expected to become the starting materials to strengthen coastal and marine policies in all regions of Indonesia. Phase II is building on this preparatory work of the first phase. The project aims to stimulate reform of local and national policies for management of marine and coastal ecosystems; help reduce destructive fisheries and aquaculture practices; empower fisherfolk communities to better manage coastal and marine areas; and to rehabilitate coastal and marine ecosystems.