Note No. 57 March 2001 Protection, Participation, and Public Awareness: Indonesia Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project Social Development Best Practice Elements · Participatory processes in preparation and implementation · Institutionalized mechanisms for decentralized implementation · Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of social development outcomes by the government and community The Indonesia Coral Reef Rehabilitation and COREMAP is being implemented in 10 provinces Management Project (COREMAP) is the first over 15 years, during which period the operation supported by the World Bank to focus communities are given incentives, training, and exclusively on coral reef ecosystems. resources to protect the coral reefs. This ecosystem contains the world's richest coral Capacity Building in Project Development reef, fish, and marine invertebrate biodiversity. It also provides a livelihood for many poor fishers, Awareness is growing in Indonesia that while being a potentially lucrative site for government agencies cannot effectively manage Indonesian business development. Balancing these such extensive reef areas without the close economic needs while protecting a fragile involvement of coastal villages and community- ecosystem is one of the project's many challenges. based management. COREMAP requires capacity building and coordination among government Project Objective agencies, the private sector, local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and village communities. COREMAP's objective is to establish a viable framework for a national coral reef management Local Capacity Building system. The project has four components: Creating awareness and building capacity at the 1. Program strategy and management community level have been the twin strategies of 2. Public awareness the project since its inception in 1998. The 3. Surveillance and enforcement grassroots approach was gleaned from other 4. Community-based management. successful coastal projects in the Asia-Pacific Region. In those projects, involving all relevant _________________________________________________________________________________________________ This project was recognized as Best Practice in Social Development by the Social Development Family and received an award for Excellence in Quality at Entry from the Quality Assurance Group (QAG). The task team leader was Sofia Bettencourt. This best practice note was prepared by Kathleen Kuehnast. The views expressed in this note are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the World Bank. stakeholders, particularly coastal communities and · Community support groups have been formed powerful decisionmakers, has been necessary to around components of the project, such as guarantee the successful implementation of project management, monitoring, and management strategies. productive activities. The idea for COREMAP emerged from a local · Communities propose their own approaches to source: a diving club that included several coral reef rehabilitation, monitoring, government ministers. Recognizing that the coral infrastructure improvements, and alternative reefs were under serious threat, the group began to village-based income generating strategies make the national public aware of the problems by (ecotourism, handicrafts, alternative fishing). allowing the press to follow them on their diving trips. · Community representatives integrate lessons learned by visiting places, such as the Importance of Coral Reefs Philippines, in which similar approaches have proven successful. Coral reefs are a major productive and aesthetic asset in Indonesia. Approximately two-thirds of Indonesia's coastline is bordered by coral reefs, which play vital · "Reef watchers" monitor the reefs at the roles in coastal fisheries, marine tourism, and protection community level. Young people patrol the of coastal areas against wave erosion. They also provide coastal areas with two-way radios and, in some habitats for numerous marine organisms. Healthy reefs cases, patrol boats. If they note a violation of are an important source of food and economic reef protection, they alert the Monitoring Unit, opportunities for some 67,500 coastal villages. which has the authority to arrest violators. Approximately 70 percent of the reefs in Indonesia are · Conflict resolution mechanisms have been in poor to fair condition, due primarily to sedimentation, instituted in the Taka Bone Rate Park Preserve land-based pollution, coral mining, physical damage, to address possible conflicts among different and over-extraction of marine products. In recent years, illegal, destructive practices such as using explosives user groups, whether among local users or and poison to fish have markedly increased, between outside users and local users. exacerbating the threat to the ecosystem. National Capacity Building Nevertheless, there are many hurdles to overcome. Local communities are the focus of unsustainable Coastal management in Indonesia has suffered activities by tourism developers and external from institutional ambiguities and overlaps at both fishers, often with conflicting interests. For coral the national and regional levels. Human resources reef management strategies to succeed requires capacity for coastal zone management remains more than an ecosystem approach to problem weak. In addition, sector-based strategies are solving. A combination of local incentives, imperiled by limited information on the status of effective enforcement, demarcation of user rights, the resources and lack of integration in regional conflict resolution skills, and involvement of spatial planning. Weak enforcement of existing communities in collaborative management is regulations and lack of delineation have hampered necessary. marine management over nearshore areas. Among the efforts underway at the local level are: Since a community-based management approach cannot be successful without a supporting legal · Extensive NGO involvement to assist in and administrative framework, a national strategy conducting social assessments in the villages. on coral reef preservation has been established. Some of the efforts being implemented on a · Field managers are placed on islands by NGOs nation-wide basis include: for several months to create awareness and support for the project, as well as to form · Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries, created to groups to assist in project implementation. champion coral reefs management. 2 · Coral Reef Information Network, capable of Because the entire project is aimed at providing public information and guidelines on strengthening community rights to local resources coral reef status and management. and improving development benefits through income-generation activities for those · National public campaign to raise public communities, an Indigenous Peoples Development awareness of, and participation in, marine Plan was not deemed necessary. conservation in Indonesia via television, radio, NGOs, and schools. The participatory approaches will continue during project implementation through the following · Public surveillance system, coordinated with activities: the help of local "reef watchers," who monitor, identify, and report any reef violations. · Public awareness component. Support for Capacity of the national government to information dissemination and awareness implement this component is being enhanced about the project is targeted at key through a program for enforcement officers. stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels. NGOs and local communities are Lessons Learned expected to participate directly in these activities. · Participation of local communities in project design builds sustainability and leads to greater ownership. · Establishment of local committees to enable · Creating partnerships between local universities feedback and information from stakeholders on and NGOs supports project implementation. project implementation. Community Support · Capacity building on the local level enables Groups will play key roles in resolving user communities to participate in ecosystem conflicts. management. · Establishing conflict resolution mechanisms · Strengthening traditional inter-village facilitates access of different user groups to natural resources. councils. Social Analysis · Support for community-based management activities involving local NGOs, including the Considerable investment has gone into social development of participatory zoning and analysis and data collection to ensure development management plans, PRAs, and participatory of culturally appropriate management plans, with beneficiary monitoring of reef activities. provision made for continuing participatory approaches during implementation. Consultations Outreach to Vulnerable Groups were held with both provincial and district level task forces and with village development councils. Given that Indonesia comprises more than 17,000 Village leaders facilitated one-day community islands and that many of those who live on these participatory workshops in each location. islands depend on the coastal waters for income, Participants included representatives of village the project must simultaneously address economic government and community groups, traditional and and ecological issues. Finding alternative and religious leaders, fishers, boat operators and small sustainable income through microenterprises for traders, school teachers, and other members of the fishers, many of whom are poor, is a complex community. undertaking at the community level. Interviews, focus groups, Participatory Rapid Community preparation activities include Appraisals (PRAs) at selected sites, and strengthening village groups, developing conflict questionnaire surveys provided key information for resolution provisions, improving access to credit, planning activities and identified potential issues or and strengthening terms of trade with existing conflicts, Local NGOs partnered with local middlemen. Isolated vulnerable groups, such as the universities in carrying out social assessment Bajau, nomadic fishermen, are integrated in the activities. community plan to minimize the social impacts on their livelihoods. Traditional fishers are also allowed to continue to operate in Taka Bone Rate 3 Park outside of the strict conservation areas. A of the collection of certain types of invertebrates conflict resolution mechanism was created to and destructive reef gleaning must be considered address possible conflicts between the Bajau and jointly by the community as part of local reef other user groups. management plans, since women may experience the possible loss of income and food. In these Women in the 10 project communities play a cases, the project assists women through targeting central role in the household economies by microenterprise development, improving their processing fish, marketing products, and reef access to credit, and creating gender-sensitive gleaning. For some communities, the curtailment empowerment activities. "Social Development Notes" are published informally by the Social Development Family in the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank. 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