Land use change and sustainable development in Segara Anakan, Java, Indonesia, interactions among society, environment and development

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with land use change and its relationship with sustainable development at a community and regional level. Increasingly, land use change has been associated with growing vulnerability of the human and physical systems, which has raised concerns about the well-being and survival of humans and other species. Communities are now faced with the challenge of planning and making decisions to achieve more sustainable use of land. While there has been a growing body of literature on land use change, particularly as it pertains to sustainable development, a good understanding of the causes and implications of these changes is still lacking. This thesis aims to help improve this understanding by studying an area undergoing rapid land use change. The area is a brackish mangrove estuary, the Segara Anakan, located in Java, Indonesia. The research is conducted from a human ecological perspective. The main objectives are: 1) to document changes in land cover and land use over a 27 year span from 1968 to 1995; 2) to identify the key interactions among society, environment and development associated with these changes; and 3) to explore the implications and challenges for planning and sustainable development arising from these changes.

The conceptual or human ecological approach is based on the interactions among society, environment and development. Central to this approach are the concepts of human adaptation and vulnerability. A review of the literature in various academic disciplines led to the identification of five elements key to human adaptation and vulnerability. They are: control; access; knowledge; productivity; and stability. A range of data collection methods was employed to acquire the information for the study. These methods include multi-temporal analysis of satellite data, group mapping of land use activities by local people, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, collection of existing data, formal and informal discussions with key informants, and a short survey. A geographic information system (GIS) has been used to combine these data and to facilitate spatial analysis of land use change. Overall, the approach aims to synthesize a variety of knowledge and views on land use change, and what it means to the human and physical environment and development of the communities.

The land use/cover changes in Sagara Anakan reflect the interactive and cumulative impacts of sedimentation arising from the upland area, and the adaptive responses of the people and government of the three traditional fishing communities located in the estuary. Since the early 1980's, rice farming has been the main adaptive response by the fishing communities to the impacts of sedimentation. The nature of land use change is characterized by its rapidity, magnitude and increasing intensity. From 1968 to 1995, the main changes in land cover and land use involved the conversion of estuary waters to new lands (4,400 ha) and to new mangroves (4,300 ha), and the conversion of the new lands and newer and older sections of the mangrove forest to rice agriculture, semi-intensive fishponds and new settlements (15,000 ha). These changes represent increased intensification and diversification of human activities in the area. These activities in turn, reflect interactions among the main actors, bringing with them a range of perspectives, interests, values and capabilities.

The land use changes pose both opportunities and constraints for sustainable development in the area. The constraints are largely associated with the increased vulnerability of many members of the fishing communities. Economic and institutional factors are predominant in this vulnerability, and are associated with the ability of fisherfolk to participate successfully in farming. These factors include: the lack of access to training; credit and land; insufficient time and energy to fish and farm; the limited control over the use of the new lands arising from the constraints imposed by the institutional conflicts; relatively low income resulting from farming on marginal lands; minimal external compensation for the declining productivity in the estuary fisheries; and the opportunities arise from increased employment opportunities for both men and women, and the informal exchange of agricultural information between the immigrant farmers and fisherfolk.

The main contributions of this research arise from the historical and current account of the human ecology of land use changes in Segara Anakan, and the implications of these changes for sustainable development. On a conceptual level, the research highlights the complex and interwoven nature of land use change at the community level. Changes emanate from the conditions and circumstances of the people and place, as well as their interrelationships with the regional and national level. This study contributes to an increased understanding of the causal relationships between land use change and sustainable development. In this context, the elements of control, access, knowledge, productivity and stability are all found to be useful in increasing the understanding of the causes and implications of land use change. In terms of the methods, this research shows the utility, promise and challenge of bringing together various data sources and methods in order to provide for a broader range of understanding and responses.