The richness of the ocean today is facing the threat of climate change. “Oceans and coastal areas are predicted to be the most impacted by climate change brought about by human activities,” he warned. According to Mas Achmad, the government had a legal basis for demonstrating commitment to a sustainable ocean economy. This included the 2002-2025 national long-term development program (RPJPN), the 2020-2024 RPJMN and Presidential Regulation No. 16/2017 on Indonesian Ocean Policy, he said. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had also made a statement pertaining to this during the declaration of the Group of 20 (G20) in Rome and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, last year, he said.

He saw the commitment reflected the direction of the government’s political will and policy to support the protection and utilization of ocean resources in a sustainable and equitable manner for the benefit of the people. The discussion also featured other speakers, including Prof. La Sara, Head of the Indonesian Forum for Marine and Fishery Higher Education Leaders, Prof. Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Deputy of the Mangrove and Peatland Restoration Agency (BRGM) planning and evaluation division and Dedi Supriadi Adhuri, a senior researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). A study by the IOJI has identified six issues that potentially hamper sustainable ocean economy development. First, the mainstreaming of the status of sustainable ocean economy. Second, blue carbon ecosystem management. Third, maritime security with threats to sovereignty, sovereign rights and the issue of plastic waste.  Fourth, the protection of human rights of Indonesian migrant workers in the maritime sector. Fifth, measured policy of catch management and finally, the protection and empowerment of small-scale fishermen. Mas Achmad explained that a sustainable ocean economy constituted the utilization of marine resources for economic development that takes heed of sustainability and includes solutions to ensure ocean ecosystem balance. IOJI mentioned several concerns about current blue carbon ecosystem management, including the obscurity of authority between ministries and related agencies. “There is also a problem regarding the policy of spatial planning to protect blue carbon ecosystems,” he said. According to him, the fair distribution of ocean resources, the financing of the ocean development transformation and ocean literacy also remain great challenges. Responding to the challenges, Mas Achmad said, all related ministries should enhance their coordination. “Efforts should also be made to provide economic incentives for local communities and to follow up the implementation of Presidential Regulation No. 98/2021 on the carbon economic value,” he said. On marine security, Mas Achmad of the IOJI said Indonesia’s rights to its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were under threat in 2021. They included the right to explore and exploit bio and non-bio resources. Illegal fishing practices conducted by Vietnamese vessels in the North Natuna Sea were the biggest challenge. It also included threats to Indonesia’s sovereign rights, as Indonesia was frequently embroiled in marine territorial disputes with ships from China.

“Apart from that, there was also the threat from plastic waste allegedly disposed of by foreign ships. An in-depth evaluation on plastic waste in the ocean at the national level has not yet been available,” he noted. The government should anticipate the issue by strengthening patrol ships and taking effective legal measures. “Indonesia should send a firm message of protest to the Chinese government’s frequent claims to the ocean territory. The territorial claim based on the ‘nine-dash line’ is not based on international law principles in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS],” he said. Prof. La Sara, who presented on security threats to Indonesia’s ocean sovereignty, shared the IOJI’s view that the government should be bold and firm, continuing to make diplomatic endeavors to maintain Indonesia’s maritime territory. According to La Sara, illegal fishing practices were not the only threats Indonesia faced. “Indonesia is also under threat of a war over sovereignty with China, which placed an aircraft ship in the Natuna region. A threat also comes from an armed group led by Abu Sayyaf from the Philippines. The group frequently threatens Sulawesi’s fishermen,” he said. “Indonesia is vulnerable to potential threats. We will continue to face ocean security threats and that’s why we should always be alert,” he said. Related to measured catch management policy, Mas Achmad said that constitutionally, the state should carry out the function of arrangement, regulation and supervision. According to him, the contract system utilizing the Directorate of Fish Resources (SDI) degrades the role of the state in implementing its functions, which is against the 1945 Constitution, Article 33 on social welfare. “The government should be careful with its plans to issue contracts on resource use in Indonesia’s EEZ to foreign investors and foreign entities because, learning from past experiences, it was found that business players had a low adherence rate. Use of the permit doubled, was underreported and illegal transshipments frequently occurred,” he advised. The crucial problem facing the marine sector is also the protection and empowerment of small-scale fishermen,” he said. Research by the IOJI on a number of fishermen kampungs located on Pari Island, Natuna, North Minahasa and East Nusa Tenggara has found that fishermen face a number of problems including a lack of access to aid, lack of community engagement in the decision-making process and inadequate facilities and infrastructure. Developing fishing shelters, building roads to seaports and fishing landing ports were among the solutions that IOJI has proposed. IOJI also said local fishing communities were in dire need of fish auction sites, fishing cooperatives and support to help them gain access to funds from the Public Service Body (BLU) for the Marine and Fishery Capital Management (LPMUKP). “Creating an authority to supervise the regency and mayoralty’s marine affairs and fisheries departments should be considered, especially in islands areas, to prevent the use of environmentally unfriendly fishing methods such as bomb and potassium in particular,” he said. Meanwhile, the BRGM has been recognized as playing an important role in Indonesia’s mission related to carbon reduction efforts because the mangrove forest can reduce emissions up to 30 percent. But the problem is mangrove deforestation rate has reached an estimated 12.818 hectares per year. According to Prof. Satyawan, the Mangrove and Peatland Restoration Agency (BRGM) has carried out conservation program in 13 provinces through four phases. It started with the acceleration of rehabilitation from 2021 and will last until 2025, followed by the mainstreaming of mangrove management (2025 – 2027) and sustainable mangrove management (2028 - 2030). “In the phase four after 2030, it is expected that the function of the mangroves could increase to support a sustainable ocean economy,” he said. Dedi Supriadi said the sustainable ocean economy concept should be adopted wisely and comprehensively, especially when it comes to the protection and empowerment of small-scale fisheries. “Based on the research results, partiality to large-scale businesspeople or investors has been found, which increasingly marginalizes small-scale fisheries,” he said. As an example, he said that waters in South Sulawesi where local fishermen used to catch fish was being used by a company for sand mining. “This practice can be a threat to the commitment to develop a sustainable ocean economy,” he said. He shared that the number of small-scale fishermen who operate ships less than 10 Gigatons was 96 percent in Indonesia. “It would be best for the government to pay more attention to them because coastal communities play an active role in development and success. A sustainable ocean economy calls for a collaboration with fishermen and coastal communities,” he noted.

Popular

Pertamina concerned about uncertainty amid energy policy changes - Companies - The Jakarta Post

Python swallows woman whole in South Sulawesi - Archipelago - The Jakarta Post

Pope’s first-ever Indonesia trip to be centered in Jakarta - Society - The Jakarta Post