A

s the country scrambles to bolster efforts to adapt to climate change and last year’s string of natural disasters, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has emphasized the importance of having a mitigation policy that prioritizes the socioeconomic and cultural aspects of disaster-prone coastlines.

LIPI researcher Deny Hidayati said the deadly earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as floods and landslides that have struck several provinces across the country, served as a wake-up call for the government to implement a more inclusive mitigation policy.

Coastlines, she added, should be one of the primary areas on the government’s climate change adaptation and mitigation radar.

“The government has indeed established specific parameters to mitigate the effects of climate change and natural disasters. However, such measures still fail to take into account the unique characteristics of people living near the coast, rendering them ineffective,” Deny said.

Last week, the LIPI in collaboration with UNESCO, the University of Indonesia and Gadjah Mada University launched a report assessing the government’s current National Climate Change Action and Adaptation Plan (RAN API), particularly the aspects concerning the mitigation capacity of coastal villagers.

As an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands and a population of around 265 million, Indonesia was particularly vulnerable to coastal hazards with millions of people living near the coast, the report said.

According to 2018 data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, approximately 160 million people — over 60 percent of the country’s population — live near the coast. Moreover, 45 million — around 17 percent of the population — live in coastal villages.

Most of the hydroclimatic hazards in coastal areas, when linked to inappropriate development activities, would be exacerbated by the effects of climate change, particularly rising sea levels, said the report, adding that such dangers would immediately affect the safety and livelihood of people living near the coast.

“The majority of people living near the coast fish for a living. Natural disasters won’t only threaten people’s lives, but also disrupt their livelihoods, especially those living in poverty,” Deny said.

The assessment focused on the socioeconomic aspects of the coastal population, including vulnerable demographics consisting of people living in poverty, residents with disabilities and special needs, as well as female fishers.

“We found that female fishers were the most vulnerable to bureaucratic gender bias. Several of them told us that their applications for boat reparation loans were often rejected by the regional administration because they were still viewed as little more than housewives,” she said.

In addition to capacity building, the report also proposed policy interventions such as the development of a coherent framework for coastal regional planning.

The National Development Planning Agency’s head of the RAN API board, Putra Dwitama, said he welcomed the recommendations made by the LIPI.

The report served as a momentum for a more effective RAN API, which would contribute to a more resilient population, he added.

“In the previous RAN API, the issue of equality — including gender equality — was something of an afterthought. For the latest RAN API, which we expect to release this December, we will make sure to incorporate a gender perspective in every aspect,” Putra said.