International Conference on Tropical and Coastal Region Eco-Development 2014(ICTCRED 2014)
Coastal Communities Knowledge Level on Climate Change As a Consideration in Mangrove Ecosystems Management
in the Kotania Bay, West Seram Regency
Hellen Nanlohya*, Azis Nur Bambangb, Ambariyantob and Sahala Hutabaratb aDepartement of Fisheries and Marine Science, Pattimura University, Ambon, Moluccas, Indonesia
bEducative Staff of Fisheries Facultyand Marine Science, Diponegoro University,Semarang,Central Java, Indonesia *Correspondence : [email protected]
The climate change has given a great impact on some coastal areas in the world [1-2]. Climate change is happening on a global scale, but the ecological impacts are often locally. Climate change has affected species and ecosystems across the United States [3]. The global climate change will lead to the loss of mangrove forests, narrowing the width of the mangrove forests and the loss of the islands. However, for unoccupied mangroves that grow in the coastal areas, an estimated width mangrove will extend deeply into it [4]. The coastal areas in some places in the world such as Bangladesh, Philippines, Thailand, Canada and Florida also experience the influence of the climate change on socio-economic life of the local communities [2, 4-7]. Several studies conducted in a few places in the
world shows that climate change has changed the habits of various communities and ecosystems [2-3]. Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world, is one of the most vulnerable countries to the negative impacts of the climate change. In general, the global climate change models predict all parts of Indonesia will experience a rise in temperature, including sea surface temperature and changing in rainfall patterns and intensity of rain that will increase the risk of flood and drought in the dry season [8-9].
The global climate change is taking place today will affect the coastal areas and the surrounding communities. The impact of the sea level rise would reduce the agricultural land and fisheries, which in turn will lower the average potential revenue of the coastal communities [2,4]. The mangrove ecosystem plays a very vital role in adapting to the climate change through carbon sequestration/emission of CO2 [10]. The utilization and over exploitation of the mangrove forests irresponsibly as building materials, firewood and charcoal also have contributed greatly to the destruction of the mangrove forests. The destruction of mangrove ecosystems will also affect the temperature rise, especially in the coastal areas. The loss of the mangrove ecosystems means losing one of the carbon sequestrations which is one of the greenhouse gas that lead to the phenomenon of the climate change [11-12]. Kotania bay is one of the bays in the District of West Seram, Moluccas Province, Indonesia, which is famous for its diversity of biological resources. The climate change that is happening now also affects the growth of the mangrove ecosystems as one of the coastal ecosystems being beneficial to the economic, social, culture and maintain the stability of the coastal environment [13]. The air temperature has been increasing at 0,50C during the last five years. The air pressure and solar radiation are also likely to rise, rainfall and rainy days fluctuate [14]. The impact of the global climate change can occur directly or indirectly as well as appearing in a variable period of time, then the adaptation to climate change is badly needed. Strategy and well-managed plan should be made as early as possible and to take an advantage of technological innovation, to undertake studies and multidisciplinary omprehensively and to cooperate with all parties to suspect as well as to anticipate the broader impact of this global phenomenon of the climate change [5,15].
The need to address the impacts of the climate change is felt and urged by the people residing in the coastal areas. Unfortunately most of the coastal communities do not know about the climate change and its impacts. This led the need to measure the level of the community knowledge on the climate change and efforts should be made to improve the community knowledge.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the level of the community knowledge, the impacts, and adaptation of the climate change by mangrove ecosystems management in Kotania bay.
2. Materials and Methods
The research was conducted in five villages of Kotania bay, District of West Seram, namely: Osi Island, Kotania, Wael, Airpessy and Taman Jaya villages (Fig. 1). This location was chosen deliberately considering that there are mangroves forests and some community members here are fishermen and farmers who use the mangrove areas to earn a living. This location was chosen based on several considerations, that this location is often used as a research site because it has the diversity of coastal resources and has a fairly extensive mangrove areas. In addition, most of the people who live in this region are relying their living on the coastal areas. The population in this study is the overall coastal communities who are economically utilizing the mangrove ecosystem. The population in this study amounted to 943 families who occupy on the fifth location of the research and activities utilizing the mangrove ecosystems. Subjects in this study is homogeneous, so that a representative sampling and the sampling conducted was on random. The total number of samples are rounded to 150 respondents, the sample in each village (five villages) amounted to 30 families, so that in the analysis there are 30 samples for one village and 150 samples for five villages [16]. Respondents in this study consisted of 90 male sex and 60 female. Level of education on average they complete primary education. The method used was Guttman scale method, then followed by qualitative descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis then to formulate a program of adaptation to the climate change in the utilization of the mangrove ecosystems.
Fig. 1. Research Areas Source : Google Earth 2014, Data SIO NOAA U.S Navy, NGA, GEBCO
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Mangrove ecosystem conditions on Kotania bay
The growth of the mangroves on Kotania bay today has undergone a shift towards land/settlement approach. The impact of the climate change resulting in submersion/shifting formations landward of the mangrove growth and has reduced the reproduction of fish [17]. Studies that have been conducted in the Kotania bay mention that there has been a degradation of the mangrove area. Based on the results of interviews with the coastal communities in Kotania bay noted that at this time there has been a decline in the catch of fish, shrimps and mud crabs, to be compared to the condition of the waters of Kotania bay a few years ago. The types, size, and quantity of fish, shrimps and mud crabs now become smaller. So even with the shellfish in the last few years was very abundant, but at this time the number and the size decreased. Several previous studies showing a decline of mangrove species and area. Mangrove areas on Kotania bay in 1972 covering an area of 958 ha to 1250 ha in 1983, and in the 1993 year area is reduced 1240 ha [17-19]. In 1996 year total mangrove area of 1178.5 hectares and in 2009 year was reduced to 1044,015 ha [19-20]. Number of mangrove species found in 1993 as many as 42 species. In 2009 only found 13 species [18-20].
3.2 The level of community knowledge about climate change and its impacts
Mangrove preservation in a region is heavily dependent on climate change and also the surrounding community. The better the level of community awareness, the better the community in maintaining their surrounding environment [5]. Based on the interviews with the respondents in five villages in Kotania bay about the level of
community knowledge about climate change and its impact on the coastal environment,shows that people do not understand about climate change.
Based on the results of the interviews and later with the assesment conducted by Guttman scale, the results of the study is shown in Table.2.The data shows that the percentage of the level of community knowledge about the climate change is very low at only 26.67% of the people in Kotania bay who know about the climate change, while the people by large (73.33 %) never know about the climate change.
Table. 1. The level of community knowledge about climate change
Village The level of community
knowledge Number of
Respondents Ever Never
Kotania 9 21 30 Wael 8 22 30 Airpessy 7 23 30 Taman Jaya 13 17 30 Osi Island 3 27 30 Number 40 110 150 Percentage (%) 26,67 73,33 100
The low knowledge level was caused by the level of education of the most people, which are still very low. The society in Kotania bay spend their time everyday to work so that they have less time to listen to the radio or catching television news broadcast on information related to the global climate change. Low levels of people’s knowledge could also be caused by their absence in a local organization [21]. Places where the study was conducted have not established a local organization to accommodate the aspirations and as forums to share information and knowledge. Local organization or community groups need to be formed to aspire to the community on various developments in science. Local organization formed in the Philipine help people to recognize the importance of the mangrove areas like the life of the local community and benefits for coastal areas [5].
Society at Kotania bay generally do not know the impact of the changes. Although they experience the impact of global climate change in their daily life, but they have never been aware of it. The local government must play an active role in outreach. The level of community confidence would be very good if they understand the true impact of climate change. Knowledge society must be based on the concept of trust in the truth. Society must believe in an issue and how the way of its solution [22].
Society at Kotania bay should realize the importance of preservation of mangrove for their survival. Preservation of mangroves in Malaysia is very important to people's lives. Mangroves provide valuable goods and services both in economic and environmental terms which should be maintained and preserved by the community. Community must understand the benefits of mangroves as well as challenge, keeping it sustainable [13].
3.3. The level of community knowledge about climate change and its impacts
The average of the respondents who have already heard about the adaptation are community figures, religious, and community who have an education through high school. The level of community knowledge about the climate change adaptation is a reference before making a program of adaptation to the climate change impacts. Based on the results of interviews with the respondents has been found that only a limited number of the society respondents
(14.67%) have understood the adaptation to the climate change, while most of the respondents (85.33%) never know about the adaptation to the climate change (Table. 2.).
Table. 2. The level of community knowledge about adaptation to climate change
The knowledge of the society at Kotania bay to the climate change is very limited. Everyday life the community is already dealing with the climate change, but they do not know that they get it during the event is really the climate change happening now and is very influential on the existence of the coastal and mangrove ecosystem.
Based on the level of the community knowledge are still lacking on the climate change and the effects of the climate change on the growth of the mangrove ecosystem and the coastal environment then a program needs to be created to improve the community knowledge. This program should be developed and disseminated to the local community. The program must contain a knowledge about the climate change and the adaptation to the climate change. This program will support the environmental stability and sustainability of the coastal mangrove ecosystem. This program should be run continuously to maintain the mangrove and other coastal resources. The mangrove ecosystem resilience will awake from the impacts of the climate change so that the existence of biodiversity, as a core component in the ecosystem can be a provider of the environmental services hold the key to the sustainability of the ecosystem [9].
The mangrove ecosystem also influences the impact of the climate change which resulted in the social life of the coastal communities [23]. The mangrove ecosystem when disturbed and exploited, then this will be weakened and unable to adapt to the climate change or climate variability. The adaptable capacity is influenced by the economic, ecological conditions, the level of dependence on natural resources, infrastructure (built by man and by nature), the effectiveness of the institutions and systems of government, insurance, owners of land, the climate information and communication systems [11].
Some of the issues are so big that the involvement of governments will be required. These include decisions about the best ways to reduce a country’s carbon emissions and where to invest funds in research on alternative energy sources. Other decisions are best addressed at the individual, family, or business level. Decision is made that has a small influence on climate change. But many small decisions, made by billions of people, can combine to have very large effects.
In mangrove ecosystem area of Bangladesh economic, social and cultural life is closely related with mangrove flora and fauna, its lunar and tidal and seasonal cycles and their accociated fish, shrimp and crab. Mangrove vegetatioan
shield coastline from cyclone, storm surge and other natural disaster by reducing the wave energy and stabilize sediment [2].
3.4 Strategiesto improve community knowledge
Based on the research results, it would require a strategy to increase community knowledge on climate change. Some strategies that can be done are counseling about climate change and its impact on the lives of coastal communities and ecosystems, local governments should create programs that involve work related community of coastal environment, education on climate change should be given to children of school age so since childhood they have been able to understand and maintain the coastal environment, village government formed community groups and empower them actively in various government activities related to environmental sustainability and reforestation programs should be carried out and a ban on the cutting of mangroves for fuel or other uses.
The vulnerability of a community the devastating effects a natural hazard the product of a range of community society (individual, community and society). Attributes and characteristict that form the basic of the individual's perception of risk [24]. Mangrove affects the socio-economic conditions and the stability of ecological communities that sustainability should be the responsibility of the entire community and local governments. Strategies must be implemented so that people are made to understand the dangers of climate change and mangrove area is maintained and sustainable.
4. Conclusion
The level of community knowledge about climate change is very low. Communities in Kotania bay tend to give priority for a living than receiving information from radio or television. Local authorities also have not been giving counseling the community about climate change. Local institutions should be aware that the community knowledge on climate change is very poor, so that they can make proper decisions. Some of the suggested strategy is expected to increase community knowledge on climate change
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to thank to the Directorate General of Higher Education which has helped fund (Contract Number 06.8/UN13/SPK-PJ/LP HDD/2014 on June, 17 2014). Thanks also to all the respondents, the village chiefs, religious leaders, community leaders and all those who have helped so done research.
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