Why do ‘early actions’? ‘Early actions’ are undertaken in order to: a

Pelajaran dari Pengalaman Proyek Pesisir 1997 - 1999 5. What actions were chosen? In Sulawesi Utara, ‘early actions’ at specific sites included mangrove-replanting, crown of thorns clean-ups, training of coral reef and beach monitors, construction of community centers and MCK communal toilet and sanitary facilities. 6. How were ‘early actions’ implemented? How were they funded? Com- munities or project Field Extension Officers working with communities implemented ‘early actions’. All early actions had community contribu- tions, usually in the form of labor, provision of materials, or use of equip- ment such as boats. To the extent that new resources were required, most were provided by the project. More recently, BAPPEDA has also made contributions of resources. When project grants were made to communi- ties, they managed funds and reported on expenditures to the project. 7. How is the success of ‘early actions’ assessed? While it is too early to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of all ‘early actions’, intermedi- ate implementation benchmarks e.g. forming monitoring groups are being met. The ultimate effectiveness of early actions should be assessed in terms of their specific goals, the extent to which they successfully intro- duce the project and build community support, and allow for tests of implementation strategies. These criteria are difficult to measure. Some Possible Lessons: 8. While ‘early actions’ have proven to be a useful way to initiate coastal management projects in Sulawesi Utara, too much attention to ‘early actions’ can distract from more comprehensive planning efforts. 9. ‘Early actions’ demonstrated concrete achievements and encouraged community residents to support longer-term projects, the results of which will not be immediately visible. 10. Successful ‘early actions’ require both community support and assess- ment of technical feasibility, as evidenced by the failure of the commu- nity-initiated mangrove replanting in Bentenan. 11. Some types of ‘early actions’, particularly those involving construction of infrastructure e.g. MCK, information center and water systems require carefully designed community organizational arrangements to insure continuing high quality operation and maintenance. There is extensive experience and theory regarding how to design institutions to insure sustainable collective community activities such as the operation and main- tenance of community infrastructure. 12. Some ‘early actions’ must be preceded by extensive public education to ensure community understanding and support. PROVINCIAL WORKING GROUPS 1. What are provincial working groups? Provincial working groups are ad hoc committees composed primarily of staffs of government agencies which have jurisdictional responsibilities in coastal areas. 2. What were the roles and responsibilities of provincial working groups? Provincial working groups were formed in order to: a provide policy guidance to Project Pesisir; b coordinate and assist with project activities within the province, c increase understanding of integrated coastal management project activities among government organizations and, in some cases, private and NGO stakeholders; and d facilitate communica- tion and understanding among agency staff and other stakeholders. This provincial institution has different names in each of the three provinces of Project Pesisir: Provincial Working Group PWG - Sulawesi Utara, Provincial Task Force and Provincial Steering Committee PTF and PSC - Kalimantan Timur and Provincial Steering Committee PSC - Lampung. xv