Religious tourism holds significant potential to support local economic growth, yet often faces challenges in management and community empowerment. This study aims to analyze the potential of the Sacred Tomb of Buyut Haer in Serang and formulate development strategies based on Community-Based Tourism (CBT) that integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research method employs a descriptive qualitative approach with SWOT analysis, utilizing data from in-depth interviews and field observations. The results indicate that while the site possesses high spiritual value and local wisdom, it suffers from the absence of a formal management body, characterized by a non-existent Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) and an inactive Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes), as well as inadequate basic infrastructure, specifically lacking sanitation facilities and organized parking. To overcome this, an “institution-first” acceleration model is formulated as an Aggressive Strategy (S-O), prioritizing the establishment of inclusive local governance prior to physical investments, alongside developing educational tourism packages integrated with the creative economy and digitalizing promotion. In conclusion, developing pioneering tourism villages requires prioritizing community capacity building and cross-sector collaboration. Ultimately, the implementation of this CBT-based strategy impacts the Sustainable Development Goals by directly generating decent work and economic growth (Goal 8) and fostering inclusive, sustainable rural communities (Goal 11).

The Pangandaran Nature Reserve faces increasing sustainability pressures due to intensified human activities in its surroundings. This Community Service Program (PKM) aims to enhance environmental literacy and conservation participation among students of SMK Negeri 1 Pangandaran as prospective agents of change. A total of 50 participants were involved through a participatory approach combining interactive seminars and hands-on training in organic waste composting. Evaluation results show that all participants are familiar with the Pangandaran Nature Reserve; however, understanding of its ecological and scientific functions remains limited (30%). Field visits and social media serve as the main information sources that enhance learning effectiveness. Most participants have joined conservation activities such as community clean-ups and tree planting, demonstrating positive attitudes toward environmental preservation. The program effectively strengthened understanding and fostered social capital for school-based conservation. An educative and applicative approach emphasizing experiential learning and personal responsibility proves effective in nurturing sustainable awareness of protected areas.

Urban forests in the Global South function as social-ecological infrastructures shaped by overlapping recreational practices, tourist mobilities, and ecological pressures, yet little is known about how different visitor groups interpret and value these landscapes. This study examines Taman Hutan Raya Ir. H. Djuanda (Tahura) in Bandung to analyse how ecosystem-service awareness, recreational behaviour, environmental memory, and well-being interact within a multifunctional urban forest. Using a mixed-methods design, 218 visitors were surveyed on perceptions of ecosystem services, perceived threats, recreational patterns, childhood nature experience, and post-visit well-being. Results show that visitors strongly recognise sensory and experiential ecosystem services, while regulating functions central to climate adaptation remain largely invisible, revealing a gap between ecological planning and social interpretation. Recreational patterns reflect Tahura’s hybrid role as everyday nature for local users and a tourism landscape for non-local visitors. Structural modelling identifies distinct well-being pathways: locals derive well-being from ecological awareness formed through repeated engagement, whereas tourists rely more on affective uplift linked to novelty. Childhood nature experience increases ecosystem awareness among tourists but contributes to displacement among long-term local users whose environmental memories no longer align with current conditions. The study demonstrates that sustainability in urban forests hinges on aligning ecological functionality with socially constructed meanings shaped by diverse temporalities of use.

Mangrove ecosystems provide important services in mitigating global climate change while delivering various co-benefits at the local level. However, they are subjected to multiple anthropogenic and natural disturbances, leading to several investigations aimed at addressing these threats and/or restoring them. This study was conducted to develop site-specific scale land cover maps using remote sensing to monitor and quantify mangroves, alongside assessing community perceptions to identify the direct drivers of mangrove cover changes. Results showed that in Balangkayan, (Philippines), the mangrove cover increased by approximately 500ha between 2014 and 2021, following a decline in 2013 due to Typhoon Haiyan. In Muaragembong (Indonesia), mangrove cover increased by about 176.13ha between 2000 and 2022 after years of conversion to fish and shrimp ponds. Community perceptions in both sites revealed that natural disturbances, such as strong typhoons and coastal erosion, were the primary drivers of mangrove cover changes. The key findings of this study provide valuable insights into (1) mangrove cover changes over time, (2) proximate and underlying drivers of these changes, and (3) land use and land cover maps highlighting mangroves in less-explored sites. These local-scale observations offer global perspectives on the long-term effects of natural disasters and sustained mangrove restoration efforts on mangrove blue carbon.

The concept of tourism carrying capacity (TCC) has increasingly been used as a solution to the challenges of tourism development and growth, particularly in the case of small islands. However, social aspects have not been sufficiently emphasized in TCC assessment. This paper aims to assess the social carrying capacity in small island tourism, using the Pari Islands in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, as a case study. Social carrying capacity was estimated using a management and experience perspective approach of local residents and tourists. The perception of positive impacts from tourists and local residents indicates that tourism on Pari Island has yet to reach the limit of its social carrying capacity, with an accepted standard tourism density of 52 people per ha. Efforts, however, are still needed to improve sustainable tourism management on these islands, one of which is through a quota system. This paper is expected to strengthen tourism management strategies, especially in national tourism strategic areas.

Mangrove ecosystems in Indonesia offer vital ecosystem services, yet they face ongoing deforestation and degradation, stemming from natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as sea level rise and urbanization. This research investigates the utilization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) derived from mangroves as a means to balance economic development, improve community livelihoods, and promote environmental conservation. Specifically, the potential of mangrove forest food products as alternative livelihood measures is explored within the context of community-based conservation efforts in Muara Gembong, Bekasi Regency, Indonesia. The study focuses on two community groups, POKDARWIS Alipbata and Kebaya, engaged in mangrove conservation and NTFP production, such as mangrove chips and crackers, confectionery, mangrove juice, and mangrove syrup. Through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, the research uncovers the strengths of community participation, the challenges of limited infrastructure and market transformation, and the opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and ecological restoration. From the mangrove ecosystem’s perspective, the FGDs also revealed the opportunity for the Muara Gembong site to be further expanded for mangrove planting and ecotourism. However, there is also a threat from environmental disasters and illegal mangrove cutting. The study underscores the potential of mangrove NTFPs to contribute to food security, local economies, and conservation efforts while also highlighting the need for diversification, capacity-building, and equitable benefit-sharing.

This study reviews the landscape of ambient air quality research in Indonesia, analyzing 74 articles published between 2014 and 2024. The analysis focuses on key pollutants-PM2.5, NOx, and SOx-in metropolitan cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Semarang. Findings reveal that transportation, industrial activities, and forest fires are primary contributors to urban air pollution. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted air quality, with marked reductions in PM2.5 and NOx levels in 2020 due to decreased human activities. However, pollutant concentrations rose again as economic activities resumed post-pandemic. Jakarta, the capital city, experienced notable changes, demonstrating the profound effects of emissions reduction strategies. This review highlights the urgent need for continuous monitoring, improved regulatory frameworks, and sustainable urban planning to mitigate air pollution in Indonesia's rapidly urbanizing cities.

This paper offers a comprehensive synthesis of 9 research papers from the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) project titled "Enhancing Capacities of Local Stakeholders in Coral Triangle in Managing Blue Carbon Ecosystems for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation." These papers are organised into four key thematic areas: (1) assessing the status of mangrove degradation and its underlying factors, (2) exploring community perceptions of seagrass ecosystems and their associated services, (3) analysing local perspectives on sustainable tourism and its influence on blue carbon (BC) ecosystem services, and (4) discerning trends in research and coastal management strategies for BC ecosystems. The findings presented within these papers illuminate the intricate challenges surrounding BC ecosystems in the Philippines and Indonesia, underscoring a range of human-induced pressures and natural vulnerabilities. These studies emphasise the significance of incorporating community perceptions and socio-economic dynamics into the BC ecosystems' conservation and management strategies framework. The comparative insights derived from these papers hold vital implications for local stakeholders and policymakers. Practical training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can empower local communities to enhance their capacity-building efforts in the future. This is valuable guidance for shaping future BC ecosystem management plans and programs, particularly in a rapidly changing climate.

As an important economic sector in Indonesia, tourism, particularly for small islands, should shift towards sustainable management practices. This study examines possible sustainable tourism management practices in Pari Island, one of Indonesia???s small islands with both a diverse ecosystem and high annual tourist flux. Tourism activities in Pari Island have resulted in environmental impacts, and implementing sustainable tourism has therefore become challenging. This study used a comprehensive assessment framework called DPSIR (Driver‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Response) to identify factors that triggered environmental problems and assess their implications for sustainable tourism management. A questionnaire method was used to collect survey data from 317 residents and 143 tourists. Water quality samples were collected from 15 sampling points (11 groundwater wells and 4 seawater locations) and tested via the APHA‐9221‐B method to determine the coliform bacteria content as a proxy for tourism pressure on the environment. Results showed that the small island tourism was built upon economic activities that trigger a range of environmental pressures (e.g., increased population, tourists, and lodging), with consequences for tourism-related resource exploitation, spatial changes, and contamination of groundwater and seawater. Implementing the DPSIR approach would ensure adequate responses to the main problems of small island tourism, such as creation of regulations informed by tourism???s carrying capacity, an open???close system for use of coastal and marine areas, increased public and tourist awareness, and legal assurance over spatial control.

The status and trends of geographical indication (GI) registration in Indonesia is presented and analyzed. Indonesia amended the GI-related legal systems in 2019, and despite its increase in registration and policy developments, the extent of coverage and classification of GI-registered products remain unclear. Thus, we analyze the current status and trends of GI registration by mapping the spatial distribution and classification of GI products. We supplemented our analysis by capturing and reviewing GI-related publications in Indonesia. Results showed that GI-registered products are concentrated in Java and Sumatra regions, with agricultural products as leading commodities. The spatial distribution further exhibits that cultural and traditional values play an important role in shaping GI products. Meanwhile, for GI publications, we documented that scientific literatures produced by domestic scholars are more abundant than international publications. Although this is a positive assertion, reviewed publications are mostly focused on the legal aspects. Other aspects such as GI promotion, development, and benefits are lacking. The policy and practical implications of such findings highlighted the critical role of provinces and domestic scholars in promoting GIs of Indonesia to the global arena.

Seagrass ecosystems provide vital services but face increasing threats from human activities. Marine protected areas (MPAs) aim to mitigate these threats, but inadequate funding and management hinder effective conservation. Seagrass-associated tourism presents an opportunity to fund conservation efforts, enhance MPA implementation, and improve local livelihoods. This study explores stakeholder perceptions of seagrass benefits, tourism feasibility, and threats on Bintan Island, Indonesia, using quantitative (349 household surveys) and qualitative (focus group discussion with 15 participants) methods. Our findings show strong stakeholder support for seagrass-associated tourism, but challenges such as ongoing anthropogenic threats and governance shifts in MPA management remain to be addressed. For successful seagrass-based tourism and better conservation, ongoing engagement with local communities and stakeholders is crucial. This approach not only secures conservation funding but also fosters local ownership and stewardship. The study emphasizes understanding stakeholder perceptions to develop a sustainable tourism sector and ensure more effective, inclusive management strategies.

Indonesia has significant potential for the implementation of seagrass-associated tourism due to its high seagrass species diversity, large spatial-extent of seagrass meadows and abundant charismatic seagrass-associated species. Seagrass-associated tourism will not only increase the livelihoods of local communities but also have positive impacts on biodiversity within seagrass ecosystems. However, there are specific challenges that need to be addressed as a priority in order to promote sustainable seagrass tourism. These challenges include: (1) lack of awareness among the local communities about the potential of seagrass-associated tourism, (2) potential adverse impacts of tourism activities on natural seagrass ecosystems, (3) lack of standardized parameters for assessing the suitability of sites for seagrass tourism, and (4) lack of safety information for seagrass-associated tourism activities. To overcome these challenges, we propose a number of recommendations that will serve as a basis for promoting seagrass ecosystems as a new nature-based tourism destination in Indonesia.

Seagrass canopies are important components of the world’s coastal environments providing critical ecological services. Nearshore hydrodynamics, i.e., waves and currents, are essential in controlling the ecological processes across coastal environments. Seagrass meadows can impose more complex hydrodynamics processes by attenuating sea-swell waves and decreasing the impact of nearshore mean water level rise due to wave setup and Infragravity (IG) waves. Consequently, the seagrasses dissipate waves and reduce flows allowing sediments to settle and accrete the shorelines. However, despite their significant roles, knowledge of hydrodynamics in the Indonesian seagrass ecosystems is relatively limited compared to other coastal ecosystems such as sandy beaches, mangroves, and coral reefs. This review highlights the dynamics of waves and currents, and their interaction with sediment transport and ecological processes, including biogeochemical and dispersal processes on the seagrass ecosystem contributing to the existing seagrass research in Indonesia. The associated literature is collected from scientific databases such as Scopus and Google Scholar that range between 1965 and 2021. The result showed that most of the research on hydrodynamic in seagrass ecosystems was carried out in temperate zones. Until recently, there have been limited publications discussing the interaction between the Indonesian (tropical) seagrass ecosystem and hydrodynamics parameters, even though the region has abundant seagrass species. Moreover, Indonesia is strongly influenced by various atmospheric-oceanic forcing, including the Asian monsoon affecting the dynamic of the coastal area with seagrass ecosystems. At a canopy scale, the correlation between the nearshore (tropical) hydrodynamics and ecological processes in the system is yet to be explored. Considering the potential benefit of seagrasses to coastal ecosystems, developing future research in hydrodynamics across the ecosystem is critical to overcoming the knowledge gaps in Indonesia. The knowledge gained could support the Indonesian seagrass ecosystem services and their resilience to potential hazards and climate change.

Seagrasses provide diverse ecosystem services that support communities, yet, they are among the most threatened marine habitats. Efforts to conserve and sustainably manage seagrasses are increasing, particularly amidst the era of climate change, in which they play a critical role. However, these activities often received less attention or were slow in gaining momentum partly due to a lack of societal recognition of seagrasses and their importance. Thus, in this study, we collected community perceptions of seagrass ecosystem services and threats from 391 respondents in Karimunjawa National Park (KNP), a nationally declared protected area in Indonesia. We aim to provide insights on people's recognition of seagrasses from a local scale with strict protection measures. Overall, respondents showed varying perceptions of seagrass ecosystem services, with provisioning services more highly perceived than regulating services. The perceived level of threats was inconclusive, though, reclamation along shorelines received higher rates (leaning toward most damaging) than other threats such as natural disasters and illegal fishing activities. Sociodemographic attributes of respondents were found to influence their perceptions, with occupation as the most pronounced driving factor. The variations observed in seagrass perceptions suggest that there is a need to strengthen and/or enhance seagrass awareness and education campaigns, which is in line with the increasing demand that public perceptions matter for the conservation and sustainable management of seagrass ecosystems. We presented here the use and insights of community perceptions for seagrass blue carbon conservation in KNP, and consequently in Indonesia, where seagrass meadows are considered globally important carbon sinks.

Indonesia has the largest extent of mangroves globally, supporting communities at the local scale while contributing to climate change mitigation at the global scale. Yet, they are highly threatened by multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors. Thus, in this study, we aim to qualitatively assess Indonesia's mangrove ecosystems by conducting a literature review applying the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. By using the framework, we identified multiple stressors and existing management efforts in 27 provinces of Indonesia. For instance, we identified aquaculture expansion as the most frequented driver of mangrove loss leading to the conversion of mangroves to shrimp farms in 20 provinces. In terms of responses, mangrove rehabilitation and community-based management have a long history in Indonesia while economic valuation and payment of ecosystem services are yet to be established across the country. The identification of multiple stressors and/or threats is instrumental to addressing the causes of degradation of globally-important mangroves in Indonesia if effectively translated into policies, which remains a future challenge.

Tourism is a multi-actor system in which each involved actor is allowed to intervene in its development and operationalization. Analyzing the relationship among the actors of tourism (stakeholders) is a valuable guideline to determine the appropriate pattern of governance. This study aimed to identify stakeholders, describe actors' strengths and attitudes toward marine tourism development goals, and analyze the connectivity patterns among tourism actors in Pari Island, Jakarta, Indonesia. This study was done by conducting in-depth interviews (September 2022) involving 23 respondents as tourism stakeholders’ representatives. A focus group discussion was also done (October 2022) to obtain feedback on the interview results. We used Matrix of Alliances and Conflicts: Tactics, Objectives, and Recommendations (MACTOR) analysis to answer the research objectives. Results showed that marine protected area activists, local travel agents, community leaders, and local citizens were the central actors playing a crucial role in balancing various goals for tourism development. Fortunately, there were no divergences detected among actors. Thus, the possibility of contraposition or conflict between actors is minimal, and all actors have the potential to be invited to work together in realizing sustainable tourism in Pari Island.

In Indonesia, tourism has become a promising major economic sector, particularly because of its contributions toward developing the economy and creating employment opportunities for local communities with rich coastal ecosystems. However, the balance between the environmental, social, and economic realms has come into question, as unsustainable tourism practices continue to be promoted in Indonesia. To address such challenges, it is important to identify tourism impacts and provide sustainable policies and plans. Communities often record tourism impacts through their perceptions and act as important stakeholders in the process of sustainable tourism development. We examined tourism impacts on coastal ecosystems in Karimunjawa from the perspective of local communities. More comprehensively, we investigated their perceptions from three perspectives: socio-cultural, economic, and environmental. The study results revealed that the respondents held positive perceptions about tourism's impact on socio-cultural and economic sectors and negative perceptions about its impact in the environmental domain. A chi-square test and Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that the respondents' educational attainment and tourism involvement influenced their perceptions on these issues. The current study results could be used as a baseline reference for contextualizing sustainable tourism plans regarding small island ecosystems in Indonesia.

Understanding land-use change is imperative in the management of Indonesian coastal ecosystems with numerous environmental impacts generated from land-use conversion. To assess these impacts in holistic perspective, we use three sources of data, land cover change, policy maps, and interviews, to triangulate the main issues. Combining these sources, we analyze land-use changes in the past based on perception interviews and secondary data from the government spatial plan policy map and observable land-cover. In Tanjung Batu and Derawan Island we found that local populations were more aware of the changes related to infrastructure development, but that there are discrepancies between assigned and actual land-use, illustrating the value of a triangulated framework.

Coastal inundation becomes a severe hazard to many world’s cities near shorelines. A recent publication by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021 projected the increase in mean sea level and the probability of extreme waves in the future that would add more pressure to the cities like Jakarta, Indonesia. Hence, the estimations of the region’s vulnerability due to the hazard are critical steps for designing the adaptation measures. The study is aimed to spatially estimate the future coastal flooding in Jakarta Bay caused by oceanic forcing under the IPCC 2021 scenarios, including the High Highest Water Level (HHWL), the predicted sea level rise by 50 years, the extreme wave setup, and the infragravity (IG) waves. The spatial inundation is generated by projecting the estimated total water level to the Jakarta region’s Digital Surface Model (DSM) and further overlaid on the rectified Google Earth image. The result shows that the increase in water level due to climate change may reach ~1.8 m, increasing the spatial inundation area around the Jakarta shoreline by 37 %. Considering the severe impacts of the projected inundation, the decision-makers need to focus on adaptation efforts soon.