Victoria Seligman - Sustainability & The Sama People

The Sama people are a South-East Asian sub-culture. The majority of their lives is spent on boats, fishing, foraging and sailing throughout Southeast Asia while participating in established networks of trade. Increasingly many Sama have depended on illegal trade as a means of supporting themselves. They tend to be viewed by mainlanders and environmental conservationists as “sea nomads,” lacking a sense of place and exploiting the seas they travel and live on. This paper attempts to look at the ways in which Sama practices and ways of life are affected by globalization and economic pressures.​ 

 

Erica Wirth - Mangroves & Estuary Health 

Mangroves and Estuary health is essential to environmental, economic, and political well being in Indonesia. Both human and natural forces have driven environmental destruction, compromising health of people and the environment alike. Despite difference in cause, similar economic and political repercussions occur.This paper compares two communities in Indonesia who rely on estuaries and mangrove for survival. In both scenarios the economic and environment were equally dependent on one another. Locals were more likely to defy government and destroy habitat is their livelihood was at risk. The major difference however, was the cause of survival. 

 

Anna-Sophie Hoppe - Agricultural Systems & The Environment

The agricultural industry in Indonesia is under an intense amount of pressure, due to the complex network of socio-economic, political and environmental issues that shapes its food system.  As the population continues to rise and the country develops and expands, the tension between need to enhance food self-sufficiency versus the need to keep up with global economic and technological advancements is apparent. The increasing privatization of the agricultural industry at a regional level, the governmental promotion of self-sufficiency along with the resulting environmental consequences and the gradual push for agricultural sustainability make up the complex nature of the agricultural system in Indonesia.  Thus, it is important to understand and develop a holistic perspective of the concerns around the food system.  

 

Aidan Browne - Governmental Policy 

The end of Suharto’s administration in 1998 ushered in a new political atmosphere in Indonesia with many implications for environmental conservation and sustainable development. The movement of power to district level government and the characteristics of the relationship between upland people and the government are examined in the context of the potential for Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). Championed for its collaboration among community leaders, district government, NGOs, local upland people, it is an ideal alternative to economic competition. There are significant barriers to CBNRM in the Central Sulawesi uplands like increased production of exports, economic competition, and a poor relationship between the upland people and urban government. CBNRM has potential in Sulawesi but also reflects a certain limitation of conservation efforts in communities that are linked, as they are in Sulawesi, to the global economy.