Population: 216,108,345 (July 1999 est.) Land Area: Total: 1,919,440 sq km Land: 1,826,440 sq km Water: 93,000 sq km Coastline: 81,000 km (Source:  CIA World Factbook 1999)

Indonesia                                 ..........in this page Contacts Basic Data CSD Data Ocean and Coastal Zone Decision Making Status Cooperation     Contacts Ian Dutton Coastal Resources Management Project NRM Secretariat J1 Medium No. 3 Menteng Jakarta, Indonesia Ph: 021 392 6424 Fax: 021 392 6423 e-mail: crmp@cbn.net.id (Information provide by Sorensen 2000 Database of ICM Efforts)  Indonesian State Ministry of Environment http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/9160/ Agency for Controlling Development Impacts on the Environment http://www.bapedal.go.id/ Sustainable Development Networking Programme http://www.sdn.or.id/ (Source:  CIA World Factbook 1999)   SUMMARY OF OCEAN  AND COASTAL PROGRAMS Many thanks are due to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the source of the information below. The information was taken from Indonesia's submission to the 7th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (last update: January 1999). For further information on social and economic factors, natural resources, and institutional structures in Indonesia see the United Nations System-Wide Web Site on National Implementation of the Rio Commitments National Information for Indonesia at http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/indonesa/index.htm   OCEAN AND COASTAL AREAS Decision-Making Indonesia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on 3 February 1986. In Indonesia's fifth Five-Year Development Plan (REPELITA), many of the development activities take place in coastal areas. Furthermore, for the shift to sustainable marine and coastal resource management, Agenda 21 - Indonesia recommendations include more integrated planning and management of these environments, better monitoring and protection of these environments, more extensive research on marine resources and intensive community development initiatives to empower and improve coastal communities. The recommended means to engage these expansive recommendations are multiple and complex - they range from funding intensive training and organizational development to develop Indonesia's institutional capacity for sustainable marine management to the provision of credit-providing financial institutions to coastal communities to finance the development of higher value-added fish-processing businesses. The following Program Areas (priority areas) are discussed in the Indonesian Agenda 21: Integrated Planning and Resource Development in Coastal Zones;   Monitoring and Protecting Coastal and Marine Environments;   Sustainable Utilization of Marine Resources;   Strengthening and Empowering Coastal Communities;   Sustainable Development of Small Islands;   Maintaining Security of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ);   Managing the impacts of Climate Change and Tidal Waves. Status Indonesia' s marine ecosystems warrant special mention. As a world center of coral diversity (500 species), with 81,000 km of coastline and 5.8 million km2 of marine area, Indonesia's important marine resources represent a significant management challenge to achieve sustainable levels of development. Approximately 60% of Indonesia's population lives in coastal areas. Their impact on the marine ecosystem derives from both the removal of resources and the introduction of increasing quantities of sewage and industrial pollution. Major Indonesian marine resource management issues include the growth in mining of coral reefs and the over exploitation of living coral sites; the increase in phosphate, nitrate and sediment loading of marine estuaries from upstream intensive paddy cultivation; the conversion of intertidal zones (i.e. salt marsh and mangrove) to rice paddy (Sawah); and the incursion of mechanized and technologically sophisticated foreign fishing fleets. The exploitation of oil and gas deposits on the sea floor as well as the transportation of oil and gas produced also pose significant potential problems for marine resource conservation. Indonesian fisheries remain one resource that may be under exploited (in aggregate terms) to this point. In 1992, fish production was 3.5 million tons, or equaling 53% of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of 6.6 million tons. It is predicted that, by 2000, this will increase to 4.25 million tons, and by 2020, to 6.04 million tons. On the other hand, this will also cause an increase in pollution. Waters off the Surabaya coast show the existence of large volumes of domestic and industrial waste, and the water quality is reported to be the second most polluted in Indonesia after Jakarta Bay. Indonesian waters are frequently navigated by foreign container ships and fishing boats. Law enforcers face problems in preventing ship traffic, which is protected by agreements. Relatively weak control in eastern Indonesia creates other problems in dealing with the frequent violations, such as disposal of toxic and hazardous waste and trespassing in the catchment zone. In Indonesia, there are 116 small islands and groups of small islands which are ecologically susceptible, particularly to global warming and natural disasters. The potential result is a decrease in the quality and quantity of biodiversity. Due primarily to globally significant coral reef ecosystems, aquatic biodiversity is particularly striking - Indonesia's fishes represent 37% of the world species total. Given the isolated and highly specialized nature of many Indonesian species, endemism is also high. In marine ecosystems, 68% of coral reefs are in either very bad or degraded conditions and only 5% remains in 'natural' condition. Indonesia is acutely aware that global temperature change might result in sea level rise. Such a rise in sea level will have serious consequences for Indonesia as an archipelagic country with 17,500 islands and a coastline of more than 81,000 kilometers. The industries infrastructure, urban populations and most fertile agricultural lands are concentrated in low lying coastal areas. Of a total of about 180 million Indonesians, approximately 110 million live in coastal areas. Indonesia will therefore suffer significant physical and socio-economic impacts from even very small rises in sea level. Existing marine and coastal management initiatives have been subject to severe constraints on their effectiveness. Many policies have not been implemented due to lack of funds and organizational resources. Other policies have been unsuccessful due to a paucity of adequately trained technical and managerial personnel. One of the most significant and intractable constraints on sustainable marine and coastal management, however, remains the poverty and lack of viable alternatives present in the people who live in coastal communities across Indonesia. Cooperation In the multilateral context, Indonesia has been a member of regional marine research and management programs such as the East Asian Seas Management Plan (UNEP-COBSEA), the South China Sea Forum. Policy research, marine science research and education has been developed and funded for numerous projects by the national government, multilateral assistance organizations (e.g. the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank), Indonesian universities and international and local NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund. This information was provided by the Government of Indonesia to the fifth session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Last Update: April 1997. (top)

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