POLICY ADVOCACY AND SUSTAINABLE COASTAL MANAGEMENT

8.2. POLICY ADVOCACY AND SUSTAINABLE COASTAL MANAGEMENT

a. Improvement in the policy advocacy process aimed at sustainable coastal management

During the project, Green Coast took various steps to urge the implementation of sustainable coastal management. Policy is one entry point towards sustainable coastal management. Related to this, Green Coast (coordinated by WWF Indonesia) specially undertook coastal policy advocacy. From this process, several documents were developed. Nevertheless, the road to ideal coastal policy is still a long and winding one. According to observation in the field, there are several obstacles and constraints that slow down this policy advocacy process.

124 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

Learning from experience in the field, the project is of the opinion that a concrete step is needed to improve performance and strategy in the advocacy process so that future activities will be more effective. Below are some steps that can be taken to improve performance in the policy advocacy process:

• It is essential to develop and maintain relations with decision makers and parties that will be the target to later adopt the policy, in order to support policy advocacy

• Understand the weaknesses, strengths, challenges and opportunities to support the process of advocacy

• Improved coordination, communication and assignment of roles among parties involved in various activities must be achieved in order to ensure the success of policy advocacy

• Identify and determine strategies, approaches, tactics and targets in policy advocacy •

It is necessary to give room and wide access to parties to involve themselves in policy advocacy to help work towards success.

b. Recommendations concerning policy for regional government

From the policy advocacy process carried out during the project, Green Coast identified several constraints and obstacles which have hampered good coastal management in NAD province and Nias. Based on a policy analysis supported by a number of considerations and related information, the project recommends to Government of Aceh Province and District/Municipal Governments the following:

• Conduct a thorough re-evaluation of development, investment and infrastructure ac- tivities in coastal regions that could have a big, important impact on coastal ecosys- tems and on the communities living there (see summary of analysis results).

• Prepare strategic and action plans to minimize the impact of environmental degrada- tion in coastal areas as a result of the implementation of development, investment and infrastructure activities, both now and in the future.

• Development, investment and infrastructure activities that are being or will be imple- mented in coastal areas should refer to various regulations currently in force; for ex- ample, the AMDAL (environmental impact analysis) regulations, compliance with the provincial spatial planning (RTRWP) and district/municipal spatial planning (RTRWK).

• Draw up Coastal Area Spatial Planning for the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam which is integrated into the RTRWP. The process of drawing up and determining this spatial plan for coastal and marine areas must be based on the regulations in force and be binding on all parties.

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• There is an urgent need to create a policy at provincial and district/municipal levels for an integrated and environmentally oriented system of management for coastal and marine areas, and to harmonize the legal system (regulations, policy, organisations and insti- tutions) as a pillar for marine and coastal management. This should use a community based management approach. A community based approach to the development of coastal and marine areas is believed to be more efficient and to achieve strong legiti- macy from the community so that the level of success will be higher. Local wisdom practised in the adat laot customary marine laws must form the basic substance of the management system to be developed.

• ? A strategy for compensation or accreditation needs to be developed like that man- dated in Law No. 27 of year 2007 concerning the Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands, which is obligatory for all parties intending to utilize coastal areas for the purposes of development, investment and infrastructure. This compensation will be used to ensure that the coastal areas are managed according to the principles of sustainability.

• The Government of Aceh urgently needs to set up a Green Investment System as policy and reference for deciding on activities related to investment, infrastructure and devel- opment that will be implemented in or will affect coastal areas.

c. Respect for local wisdom and communal knowledge

Local wisdom and the knowledge of local communities in Aceh show that coastal management practices have been in existence since long ago. These need to be respected and supported in order to support the conservation and sustainable management of coastal and marine resources and the small islands in Aceh.