IPB University Expert Warns of Ecological Risks and Loss of Fishing Grounds Due to Cilincing Sea Concrete Project
Professor Yonvitner, Profesor of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) and Chairman of the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (PKSPL) at IPB University, believes that the construction of sea concrete in the Cilincing area has the potential to cause serious ecological and socio-economic risks.
He emphasized that marine space is a productive area that cannot be managed solely through spatial planning approaches, but must be based on comprehensive environmental risk analysis.
“Marine space is a productive area. If there is reclamation or infrastructure development, this new area must be able to provide a contribution that is comparable to the loss of fishing areas and fisheries habitats,” he said.
“This step is important as a mitigation measure against the potential loss of fishermen’s income,” Prof Yonvitner emphasized.
According to him, the current mechanism of the Marine Spatial Utilization Activity Conformity Agreement (PKKPRL) is still limited to the alignment between the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW) and the zoning plan.
New ecosystem studies are generally included in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents. However, Prof Yonvitner noted that the EIA function is insufficient because it only projects impacts without calculating the risks of long-term losses, especially for fishermen.
“So far, the EIA has only stopped at estimating impacts, without touching on the aspect of risk of loss of income or socio-economic losses for coastal communities. In fact, that is what fishermen feel most acutely,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, he reminded that coastal development cannot be viewed solely from a local perspective. Its impacts can extend to other areas, for example through pollution or habitat degradation.
“Therefore, the use of marine space should also provide ecological compensation, not just economic compensation. This is important to maintain environmental balance,” he added.
Prof Yonvitner believes that the biggest weakness of marine investment permits so far is the lack of integration of environmental risks in planning. Without a comprehensive risk analysis, investments can actually cause damage to marine ecosystems, which ultimately harms the community.
“In the future, investments in marine areas must be corrected and directed so that they do not only pursue physical development, but also ensure ecological sustainability and the welfare of fishermen,” he said.
With this perspective, Prof Yonvitner encourages every development in marine and coastal areas to truly prioritize the principle of sustainability.
Furthermore, Indonesia will prepare for the construction of the Great Giant Sea Wall (GGSW) in the future, so that a risk-based integrated coastal management (ICM) approach must be used as the basic framework for coastal development, including reclamation.
“Thus, all of this is not only about preserving the marine ecosystem, but also protecting the livelihoods of fishermen and ensuring that the benefits of development are felt fairly,” concluded Dr Yonvitner. (AS) (IAAS/HRD)
