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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal region and small island papers 6
Summary
Jakarta Bay lies to the north of Jakarta and receives freshwater runoff
from the nineteen rivers that run through the Jakarta Metropolitan Area, a
conurbation that is home to some 20 million people. The bay is shallow, average
depth is 15 m, and contains an archipelago of small, low-lying islands –
Kepulauan Seribu, referred to in this report as the Seribu Islands. With the
expansion of the Jakarta Metropolitan Area during the second half of the 20th
century, the environment of Jakarta Bay and the Seribu Islands has been
significantly affected by a range of human activities as well as natural forces.
The impacts of pollution, natural ecosystem transformation and non-sustainable
coastal resources exploitation are being increasingly felt.
| Youth environmental education |
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In 1996 the region became the focus of a pilot project on UNESCO's
intersectoral platform for Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and in
Small Islands (CSI). This pilot project 'Reducing the impact of a coastal
megacity on island ecosystems, Jakarta Bay and the Seribu Islands' attempts to
alleviate the pressures being placed on Jakarta Bay and the islands through
community-based solid waste management and the development of alternative
livelihoods for people living in the area. This document describes and assesses
the project activities carried out in the period 1996–1999.
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Coral bleaching in 1998 in Seribu Islands |
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Photo:
P30 LI PI documentation |
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Coral reef surveys over the period 1969–1995 have shown a dramatic
decline in coral reef health, a result of natural causes such as higher seawater
temperatures, and anthropogenic factors such as pollution, unsustainable fishing
practices and dredging. Indeed several islands have disappeared within recent
decades.
Prior to the full development of project activities, a socio-economic
survey was conducted of three selected communities in the Jakarta are a, two
urban and one rural, and of one community in Pari Island in the Seribu Islands.
The surveys cove red social organization, housing, water supply and management,
drainage, sanitation and public health.
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One of Jakarta’s slum areas |
Following several work shops, community-based waste management was
selected as an area for action. An initial study of solid waste composition
showed that 74% of the solid waste generated in Jakarta consists of organic
matter, which can be made into compost. Working with communities in Banjarsari
and Kapuk Muara, recycling centres were established where young people, women's
groups and unemployed people have been trained and carry out waste sorting,
recycling and composting, including marketing of the products e. g. medicinal
herbs. This activity aims to generate an 'Urban ecology model' to reduce the
impact of urban areas on the rivers and coastal areas through appropriate waste
management. In Kapuk Muara, the UNESCO Education programme also established a
community learning centre. Other composting projects have been started at the
Bintaro and Pluit traditional markets, and in the former case a 40% reduction in
total waste was achieved after two months. The projects have been successful to
date although further work is needed to find markets for the recycled products
so that the activity becomes a viable income-generating alternative livelihood.
This activity aims to produce a 'Model for waste management in traditional
markets', which may eventually be replicated in other areas.
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Training
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With an average of 1,400 m3
of rubbish being thrown into Jakarta's rivers daily, education is an important
part of waste management. The project has several educational components,
including formal school programmes, and informal projects such as field courses
and action orientated activities.
Fishing has long been the major income-generating activity in the Seribu
Islands. However, due to the impacts of the city and unsustainable fishing
practices, catches have declined and 35% of the population in the Seribu Islands
are living below the poverty line. This project has focused on developing
alternative income opportunities, specifically duck farming on Pari
Island.
In order to fully maximise the benefits of alternative-income generating
activities, the project, through the UNESCO Social and Human Science programme,
has focused on social empowerment in one community selected as a case study,
Kamal Muara, through the development of self-help
groups. These self-help groups
have strengthened the community by improving their organizational skills,
providing a system for savings and loans, and in the future it is anticipated
that they will assist in small business development.
To ensure the sustainability of the ongoing pilot project, a project
document for the integrated environmental development of the Jakarta
Metropolitan Area has been prepared. While the overall approach for future
action will focus particularly at the community level through social empowerment
and poverty alleviation activities, co-operation with government organizations
and the development of public-private partnerships will be complementary foci.
