Susan Wismer

Community Participation in Marine Protected Area Management: Wakatobi National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Coral reef areas are threatened worldwide by growing populations, tourism development, and use of poison and dynamite in fishing in areas adjacent to the reefs. The designation of marine protected areas is one strategy for addressing these problems. Wakatobi National Park, established in Eastern Indonesia in 1996, contains approximately 50,000 ha of coral reefs and a resident population of Sama-Bajo people whose traditions and current livelihoods tie them closely to the sea. The present research, using participatory rural appraisal methods, focused upon the impact of the designation of the Marine Park on their lives and investigated the potential for public participation in park planning and management. The Wakatobi Park Management Plan does not address the needs and interests of local people. Priority should be placed on adaptation of park zoning and protection regulations to accommodate the livelihood requirements of indigenous communities.Coral reef areas are threatened worldwide by growing populations, tourism development, and use of poison and dynamite in fishing in areas adjacent to the reefs. The designation of marine protected areas is one strategy for addressing these problems. Wakatobi National Park, established in Eastern Indonesia in 1996, contains approximately 50,000 ha of coral reefs and a resident population of Sama-Bajo people whose traditions and current livelihoods tie them closely to the sea. The present research, using participatory rural appraisal methods, focused upon the impact of the designation of the Marine Park on their lives and investigated the potential for public participation in park planning and management. The Wakatobi Park Management Plan does not address the needs and interests of local people. Priority should be placed on adaptation of park zoning and protection regulations to accommodate the livelihood requirements of indigenous communities.

Communities, work and public/private sphere models

Abstract Based on a study of womens work in the Canadian community of Kitchener‐Waterloo over a century, this paper identifies community work as conceptually separate from domestic and traded work. Using case examples from the study, the paper analyses three propositions associated with public/private sphere models, drawing upon the theoretical work of Carole Pateman and others. The paper proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between women and work which includes community work as a third sphere. It suggests that re‐theorising the relationship between women and work is necessary in order to overcome the limitations and inherent contradictions of conventional public/private formulations and in order to acknowledge the nature and extent of involvement in civil action.

Impacts during project anticipation in Molas, Indonesia: Implications for social impact assessment

Important impacts can emerge regarding biophysical, economic, social, political/legal, cultural, and psychological aspects during the anticipation stage of a project, as confirmed by a study of impacts during anticipation of proposed tourism developments in the village of Molas, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The main findings were that during the anticipation phase both the quantity and quality of agriculture production on land acquired by speculators and developers decreased, individuals used the income from the sale of their land to build new homes or improve existing ones or to invest in new occupations, exposure to new values and lifestyles made younger people in the village less interested in maintaining traditional values and culture, the local community became marginalized related to planning and development decisions, and considerable fear and anxiety were created for many villagers due to the uncertainty generated by the proposed tourism development. Many of these impacts will not be documented in any environmental impact statement related to the proposed development, because the EIS will be conducted well after the anticipation stage. These findings, and other studies, suggest that SIA is one of the most poorly handled aspects of impact assessment in Indonesia.

Livelihood strategy approach to community- based planning and assessment: a case study of Molas, Indonesia

A livelihood strategy is an organized set of lifestyle choices, goals and values, and activities influenced by biophysical, political/legal, economic, social, cultural, and psychological components. The evolution of livelihood strategies was examined in Molas, a coastal village in North Sulawesi province, Indonesia, near the famous coral reefs of Bunaken National Park. Molas was selected to assess how these strategies, especially those of farmers and fishers, are affected in the anticipation stage of tourism development. Study results indicate that documenting the historical evolution, and present and emerging patterns, of livelihood strategies is an essential foundation for successful development and implementation of community-based strategies for environmental planning and management.

Feature articleImpacts during project anticipation in Molas, Indonesia: Implications for social impact assessment

Important impacts can emerge regarding biophysical, economic, social, political/legal, cultural, and psychological aspects during the anticipation stage of a project, as confirmed by a study of impacts during anticipation of proposed tourism developments in the village of Molas, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The main findings were that during the anticipation phase both the quantity and quality of agriculture production on land acquired by speculators and developers decreased, individuals used the income from the sale of their land to build new homes or improve existing ones or to invest in new occupations, exposure to new values and lifestyles made younger people in the village less interested in maintaining traditional values and culture, the local community became marginalized related to planning and development decisions, and considerable fear and anxiety were created for many villagers due to the uncertainty generated by the proposed tourism development. Many of these impacts will not be documented in any environmental impact statement related to the proposed development, because the EIS will be conducted well after the anticipation stage. These findings, and other studies, suggest that SIA is one of the most poorly handled aspects of impact assessment in Indonesia.

Culture and Sustainable Livelihoods

Abstract The sustainable livelihoods (SL) approach offers a practical means of addressing some critical aspects of sustainable development. In this research, the SL framework is applied to an analysis of tourism development among the Shanmei Cou in Taiwan. It is shown that the SL framework has utility in guiding both research and practical initiatives, and that it may have particular relevance to marginalized communities. However, its usefulness can be further enhanced through explicit incorporation of culture, which has been underemphasized in most earlier formulations. A revised framework is proposed and some suggestions are offered for further research.

Inclusivity matters: Perceptions of children's health and environmental risk including Old Order Mennonites from Ontario, Canada

Understanding of risk views in multiethnic Canadian society may be enhanced by including perceptions of a closed, ethno-religious Old Order Mennonite (OOM) community, farming along the most contaminated tributary of the Grand River, Ontario, Canada. This study represents the first time that these Old Order women have participated in any research. For this exploratory study, qualitative methods were the preferred approach. To understand environmental concerns of mothers living in the contaminated area, 34 semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers from mainstream society and from the OOM community. Emergent themes revealed concerns about exposure to toxicants, childrens exposure reflected in their behaviour, and exposure differences determined by lifestyle. When links between perceptions of relationships between childrens health and their polluted physical environments by mainstream society are contrasted with the perceptions of the OOMs, it becomes clear that each group defines risk to childrens health differently. The inclusion of the OOMs in this study is important because it reveals essential information regarding ethnic vulnerability and a number of ethical dilemmas for the researchers assessing risk in marginalized communities.

Human and Institutional Capacity Enhancement for Environmental Management in Indonesia: The Experience of the University Consortium on the Environment, 1987–2002

ABSTRACT The University Consortium on the Environment involved collaboration among Waterloo, York, and seven Indonesian universities in Java and Sulawesi in a comprehensive effort to enhance the capacity of Environmental Studies Centres in Indonesian universities to support good environmental management. Focussing on graduate student education (for both Indonesians and Canadians), joint faculty research, workshops, and the preparation of academic publications and practical training manuals, this large, complex project yields a number of important lessons. Important factors relating to success include forms of participation, leadership and management, institutional relations and structures, communication, and cross-cutting themes for environmental research, training, and management. The experience demonstrates the particular values and challenges of undertaking such projects in Canadian universities.