The Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) Sulawesi

Climate change and coastal communities in Sulawesi

 

About PAIR

The Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) program’s mission is to generate actionable insights that inform policymaking to help improve the lives of local communities.

PAIR’s theme is “Climate Change and Coastal Communities in Sulawesi”. 

PAIR Sulawesi aims to produce research that directly informs policymakers and contributes to sustainable solutions for coastal communities.

Indonesia’s coastlines stretch across 81,000 kilometres and are home to around 70 percent of its people. The nation depends on its seas for life and livelihood. The blue economy, which includes marine resources, transport and tourism, has the potential to generate US$1.33 trillion of value.

However many coastal communities are yet to benefit from this opportunity and remain impoverished. Data from the national statistics agency, the Badan Pusat Statistik, show extreme poverty has risen from 1.3 million in 2021 to 3.9 million in 2022.

There are several factors behind this divide between resource abundance and community wellbeing. These include climate change, warming oceans, overfishing and destructive fishing practices, skill gaps, structural constraints, limited access to financial institutions and pollution from coastal communities and industries. These factors threaten fragile ecosystems and deplete the incomes of millions of traditional fishermen and other maritime-dependent communities.

The vulnerable – women, children, young people, people with disabilities and the elderly – suffer the most as they struggle to maintain livelihoods and nutritional security.

Coastal communities miss out on the potential of the country’s ocean wealth and poverty remains widespread. This striking gap demands urgent action to address the issues facing those who live on the shorelines.

Research focus area

We are focussing on three key areas:

Circular Economy: Solutions in the seaweed sector – Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of carrageenan seaweeds. Seaweed farming contributes to the livelihoods of at least 66,000 generally low-income coastal households and communities across Indonesia. Despite its economic benefits, the industry faces significant environmental challenges, primarily driven by climate change. The resilience of the sector and coastal communities are crucial in facing these challenges. This research area seeks to explore innovative circular economy solutions and strategies to increase the sustainability and environmental performance of seaweed farming and processing.

Net Zero: Transition in local healthcare facilities – As Sulawesi’s coastal communities face the challenges of climate change and sustainable development, the transition to net zero emissions in key sectors such as healthcare, higher education and tourism becomes increasingly important. In this research area, we are seeking to develop innovative solutions and strategies to facilitate this transition of local healthcare facilities across coastal communities and extreme poverty locations in key provinces in Sulawesi.

Climate change and health – Indonesia ranks in the top third of countries in terms of climate risk, from flooding to extreme weather. Sulawesi’s coastal communities are particularly vulnerable. This research area examines the impact of climate change on health in these regions focusing on:
a. Mental health effects
b. Nutrition challenges, including stunting
c. Social issues such as family and domestic violence
d. Vulnerabilities of marginalised groups (women, youth, people with disabilities)
e. Health system resilience and adaptive social policy interventions.

University partners

PAIR Sulawesi has partnered with 19 universities in Australia and Indonesia.
There are ten university partners in the AIC consortium: Airlangga University, Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada University, Hasanuddin University, IPB University, Monash University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, University of Indonesia, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland.

Nine regional partners have also joined PAIR Sulawesi: Gorontalo State University, Halu Oleo University, Kalimantan Institute of Technology, Khairun University, Mulawarman University, Pattimura University, Sam Ratulangi University,Tadulako University, West Sulawesi University.

Contact information:
For questions or additional information, please contact:
PAIR Management Team
Email:  pair@ausindcentre.org

PAIR Sulawesi is supported by the Australian government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Indonesian government through the Directorate General of Higher Education and the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education.

It is led by the Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) and hosted at Hasanuddin University.