ndonesia’s coastal area is exposed to natural hazards while home to highly vulnerable communities. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) are needed to reduce the effects of climate change on coastal communities and enhance their resilience against future disasters. Combining CCA-DRR governance with community-led initiatives has been proven by many scholars to be effective in strengthening coastal communities’ resilience compared to top-down CCA-DRR programs. Community-led initiatives are also mentioned in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 as vital in understanding and addressing risk. This policy brief elaborates a series of recommendations on implementing community-led CCA-DRR to improve resilience in Indonesia’s coastal communities.

Coastal communities and impoverished people are identified as more vulnerable to climate change and other natural hazards. Sustainable development enhancement through disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is necessary to reduce the risk of disaster occurrence and build coastal communities’ resilience. However, despite the various efforts and progress taken on CCA and DRR, there is still a lack of focus, especially at the local level, where the disaster impacts are more pronounced, and policies should be translated into action. Prior research also identified that coastal communities should initiate decentralized actions on DRR and CCA to reduce vulnerabilities toward coastal hazard risk. Community-led initiatives are integral to CCA-DRR to strengthen resilience and contribute to better implementation in collaboration with local governments. Community-led CCA-DRR can be used to harness existing and build new community assets and capacity in order to address, manage, influence, and adapt to social, economic, and environmental change and disasters. Examples include appropriate recovery actions or mitigation for better coastal community resilience. This paper examines the implementation of community-led CCA-DRR in Indonesia as a case study through an extensive literature review of community-led approaches and CCA-DRR for coastal communities’ resilience. This paper explores practical examples from the global context, draws lessons learned, and gives recommendations to enhance coastal community resilience in Indonesia. Existing experiences on integrated CCA-DRR in various countries demonstrate how a community-led approach can incorporate local community members, local government, external stakeholders, and appropriate support and funding mechanisms.

Artikel ini membahas pentingnya implementasi Perlindungan Sosial Adaptif (PSA) di Indonesia untuk menghadapi bencana, perubahan iklim, dan kemiskinan. Studi kasus di Kabupaten Sumba Timur mengidentifikasi tiga bentuk PSA: program pemerintah, inisiatif berbasis kearifan lokal, dan kontribusi lembaga nonpemerintah. PSA bertujuan tidak hanya sebagai respons krisis tetapi juga untuk meningkatkan resiliensi sosial-ekonomi masyarakat. Tantangan utama meliputi koordinasi lintas sektor, keterbatasan sumber daya, dan integrasi data. Artikel ini merekomendasikan penguatan kebijakan, pengembangan kegiatan masyarakat, dan kolaborasi dengan lembaga nonpemerintah agar PSA lebih inklusif dan berkelanjutan.

This policy article discusses the importance of implementing Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) in Indonesia as a response to multidimensional challenges, including disasters, climate change, and poverty, which exacerbate one another. Using East Sumba Regency as a case study, the article identifies three main forms of ASP implementation: formal government programmes, community initiatives based on local wisdom, and contributions from non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The ASP approach aims not only to help the poor survive crises but also to enhance their socio-economic resilience in the long term. The article highlights major challenges such as cross-sectoral coordination, resource limitations, and data integration. To address these issues, the article recommends strengthening formal policies, developing community-based activities, and fostering strategic collaborations with NGOs. By synergising efforts among the government, communities, and NGOs, ASP is expected to become a robust and inclusive instrument, supporting sustainable development and enhancing community resilience against future risks.

Climate change has significantly impacted the coastal environment’s carrying capacity and the livelihoods of fishermen in Cilacap Regency. Rising seawater temperatures, saltwater intrusion, and coastal erosion have disrupted marine ecosystems, causing a decline in fisheries productivity that has forced fishermen to migrate to other areas. Despite these challenges, the resilience of fishing communities is evident. The Cilacap District Government has initiated adaptation policies, such as coastal ecosystem rehabilitation and mangrove management. More comprehensive and collaborative strategies are needed to increase this resilience and adapt to climate change. With the proper support and commitment, these strategies can lead to a more sustainable and resilient future for the fishing communities. The importance of international support cannot be overstated. Efforts at the national level, such as through RAN-API, are crucial. However, international commitments through the Paris Agreement and support from FAO are equally essential to help fishers adapt through environmentally friendly technologies and economic diversification.

The 2011 tsunami in Japan and the 2010 Haiti earthquake provide evidence that failure in disaster risk communication leads to more fatalities among at-risk communities. In the past five years, disaster practitioners have utilised a wide range of strategies to communicate disaster risks. The strategies used are diverse according to its objectives, tools, coverage, and target audiences by mainstreaming the audience’s needs, local norms, geographical areas, and cultural values. These strategies are not solely intended to deliver reliable disaster risk-related information efficiently. More substantially, the strategies are also expected to quickly bring resiliency to the disaster-affected communities. This Op-Ed will provide an early understanding of the concept of disaster risk communication and its strategies, including resilience concepts and frameworks. Moreover, this Op-Ed also underlines further discussion on how vital disaster risk communication is, how the communication is linked with the conceptual elements of the resiliency of disaster-affected communities, and how humour can be a promising entrance to establish a more disaster-resilient community.