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Addressing the issue of corals and beach sand mining in Banda Islands through community approaches

04 Dec 2019

Addressing the issue of corals and beach sand mining in Banda Islands through community approaches

Project leader: Mrs. Dinah Yunitawati

Level of education and university: Master, The University of Western Australia

Collaborating Organisations: 1) Management Unit for Banda Sea Marine Protected Area, 2) Blue Forests Foundation, 3) Village government of Tanah Rata

Project Location: Maluku Tengah, Maluku

Activity Type: Training, workshop or seminar

Sector: Natural resource management, rural growth, infrastructure planning

Project Rationale:

The Banda Sea has rich biodiversity and valuable natural resources like coral reefs, sea grass bed, and reef fishes, making these waters established and declared as marine protected area. However, there are several major issues existing in the area, including the mining of corals and beach sand for housing and infrastructure construction, which is conducted by the local people. The degradation of coastal ecosystems, the decline of water quality, and coastal erosion are the major environmental impacts caused by this mining activities, which in turn will decrease the fisheries production. There are several root causes for the problems of corals and beach sand mining in Banda, including the lack of community awareness, the lack of income sources, and area remoteness that cause difficulty and high price of construction materials, among others. Therefore, there is an urgency to address these issues in order to achieve the sustainability of marine resources, so that they can keep deliver benefits to the communities.

Project Beneficiaries:

Thirty locals in Banda sub-district: as the representative of all villagers, who are targeted for training on bamboo harvesting, treatment, and building construction

Priority Development Area:

Economic institutions and infrastructure

Link with Australian organisation: -

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