Effectiveness of Community-Based Mangrove Management for Coastal Protection: A Case Study from Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The management and restoration of mangrove forests to protect coasts are promoted in many countries, including Indonesia. Indonesian mangrove forests are actively restored and managed by local communities for their ecosystem services, including coastal protection services. Whether community-based mangrove management (CBMM) is effective is still debated. Our study, analyses the effectiveness of different CBMM practices in four Central Javan communities by evaluating the capacity of their mangrove forests to protect against coastal hazards. We used complementary interviews, field assessments and literature reviews to collect the necessary information.The overall CBMM performance and success significantly differed for each community’s mangrove rehabilitation effort and the resulting coastal protection service. Of the four communities, Bedono performed best in terms of mangrove coverage, forest structure and restored coastal protection service. This is explained by multiple factors, such as the fact that Bedono applied long-term and integrated CBMM approaches, involving appropriate maintenance and additional measures to reduce wave energy. This approach achieved the best results in terms of increased extent and enhanced mangrove forest structure, contributing to enhanced coastal protection.Our study illustrates the importance of strategic collaboration between local communities and supporting institutions (i.e. universities, NGOs, governments, funding organisations and enterprises) to support conservation and sustainable management of local mangroves and their coastal protection services.

Keywords: Coastal erosion, mangrove structure, coastal protection, community governance, climate change