I

ndonesia's territory may be under threat of shrinking, with more than 5,000 of the 17,500 islands making up the archipelago remaining unnamed, let alone guarded.

To make matters worse, territorial assets may be lost and marine borders changed as the islands most vulnerable to human-induced climate change go unnoticed.

"We only just started drafting a vulnerability index for the Thousands Islands off North Jakarta," the director of small island empowerment Alex SW Retraubun told a seminar on oceans and climate change at the University of Indonesia on Thursday.

He said the index would be used to map out the vulnerability of all small islands under threat from any potential rise in sea levels.

"Hopefully, we will finish the vulnerability index by the end of this year," he said.

The 2007 law on small island management identifies a small island as one measuring less than 2,000 square kilometers in size.

Another speaker at the seminar, former environment minister Emil Salim, said that Indonesia was facing a "war" when it came to the severe impacts of climate change, with the country's outer islands under serious threat of being swamped.

"Our real enemy is not Malaysia or rampant pirates. We are now facing a serious war with climate change as thousands of small islands, including our outer islands, will disappear," said Emil, who is also a member of an advisory team for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He said climate change would change the borders of countries around the globe.

"There will be adjustments to the boundaries of each country because of climate change, so we should map Indonesia's islands as soon as possible," he said.

He suggested that the government take real action to protect the islands, such as by investing in algae farming.

A recent study conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) predicted that annual global temperatures would be 4.8 degrees Celsius warmer in 2100 that in 1990, potentially raising sea levels by 70 centimeters over the same period.

This May, Indonesia will host the world ocean conference in Manado, North Sulawesi, inviting government officials and experts from 121 countries to discuss the role of oceans in mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.

The inaugural conference is expected to produce the Manado Declaration, which requires the world to practice sustainable ocean management practices to deal with climate change.

Experts have recently been debating whether oceans absorb or release carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming.

The business sector has expressed concern at the possibility of rising sea levels, as it would deal coastal investments a serious blow.

"Frankly speaking, we are shocked to learn about the impacts of climate change, which will make businesses nationwide uncertain," director of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol Budi Karya Sumadi said at the seminar.

He said the use of new technologies could help prevent the drastic impacts of rising sea levels.

"But, huge investment would be required to purchase and operate such technologies," he said.

A rise in sea levels, floods, coastal abrasion and heat waves are among the threats posed to businesses on coastal areas.