A Review on Sustainability of Watershed Management in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the implementation and obstacles of watershed management, and the alternative solutions based on a synoptic review of related studies and experiences across Indonesia. The review found that problems in the institutional aspect were hierarchical confusion, discrepancy, and asynchrony among regulations, and weak (participation, synchronization, and coordination) among watershed management stakeholders. The weaknesses in the planning stage are integration among sectors, a lack of community participation, and limited readiness to integrate watershed planning into regional planning. Stakeholders’ involvement is also a critical factor in successful implementation of degraded watershed rehabilitation, including in peatland and mangrove areas. Failure should be minimized by providing adequate information on degraded watershed characteristics, appropriate species choices, and effective mechanical construction for soil and water conservation. Community participation as the main factor in driving watershed management should be achieved by strengthening public awareness of the importance of a sustainable watershed and providing access for the community to be involved in each stage of watershed management. Another problem is data gaps which are essential to address from the planning to evaluation stages. The gaps can be bridged by using remotely sensed data and by applying hydrological-based simulation models. Simplified criteria for watershed assessment may also be required, depending on site-specific issues and the watershed scale.

Forty Years of Soil and Water Conservation Policy, Implementation, Research and Development in Indonesia: A Review

“…To emphasize the importance of SWC, a joint decree of the Minister of Forestry [20], mainly for erosion control and soil fertility improvement [21]. The Ministry of Public Work and Housing, through Law No.…”

“…Soil conservation is essentially a part of watershed management activities. However, soil conservation is regulated by law in the regulatory hierarchy, while watershed management is only regulated at the government regulation level [20].…”

“…37, 2014 on Water and Soil Conservation (promulgated in the same year) and Government Regulation No. 37, 2012 on Watershed Management stipulate that watershed management is not only the authority of the central and provincial governments but also districts [20].…”

“…However, inevitable catastrophes, particularly large floods, can significantly increase SWC efforts. For example, the government launched several significant donor-assisted watershed management initiatives (e.g., Solo and Citanduy) after the city of Solo (Surakarta) was severely inundated in 1966 [20,36].…”

“…For the SWC implementation, the government needs to assist the community at the site level [9,49,50]. Community empowerment through micro watersheds is expected to ensure the sustainability of watershed management from upstream to downstream [20,49,51,52]. Participatory and collaborative planning for SWC techniques must be adapted to specific environmental, economic, and socio-cultural characteristics [27,49,51].…”