Assessment of adaptation needs, policies and priorities: cases from Indonesian islands

The report finds that the implementation of Indonesia's National Action Plan Addressing Climate Change (RAN-PI) has been generally poor, particularly at the local and community levels, due to a lack of national legal foundations and poor vertical communication. While some provincial and district offices report adaptation activities like reforestation and coral transplantation, village-level communities often remain unaware of national policies and struggle with immediate climate impacts such as water scarcity, crop failure, and coastal erosion. The assessment emphasizes the need for a bottom-up approach that integrates traditional indigenous knowledge with modern science and calls for the empowerment of 'local champions' to build community resilience.

• The implementation of the National Action Plan Addressing Climate Change (RAN-PI), adopted in 2007, has been generally poor across the assessed regions. In North Lombok, only three out of 15 kabupaten-level participants were aware of the document, and village-level communities in Bali and Nusa Tenggara Timur were largely unaware of its existence.
• A primary obstacle to the effective implementation of RAN-PI at the provincial and district levels is the absence of a national legal basis. Local officials report that national laws or ministerial decrees are necessary to justify the adoption of the plan into local development planning (RPJMD) and to enable the allocation of government budgets for adaptation.
• Climate change impacts are manifesting as increased weather unpredictability, water scarcity, and declining agricultural productivity. In Bali, participants estimated insufficient water coverage for 40% of agricultural land; in Nusa Tenggara Timur, communities reported severe food and seed scarcity, particularly during 2009.
• Coastal and small island communities face specific risks including beach erosion, coral bleaching, and decreased fish stocks. In Gili Air and Jambianom, these impacts threaten livelihoods, leading some fishers to migrate or seek alternative income sources, while coral transplantation is used as a tool for both reef rehabilitation and carbon sequestration.
• There is a significant disconnect between national-level policy and local-level needs, with a tendency for policies to focus on funding and specific projects rather than people's needs. Participants identified 'sectoral egos' at the national level and high turnover of officials at lower levels as barriers to coordination and capacity building.
• Traditional knowledge and indigenous wisdom are viewed as essential complements to modern adaptation strategies. Examples include the 'subak' water management system in Bali and 'gelen' or 'mundutan' food security measures in Nusa Tenggara Timur, though some communities report that rapid climate changes are making traditional natural signs less reliable.
• The report identifies 'local champions'—innovative individuals who lead organic farming or waste-to-energy ventures—as critical linchpins for enhancing collective community adaptation capacity and resilience.
• Research priorities identified by stakeholders include the development of crop varieties resilient to drier climates, the documentation of local knowledge, and the exploration of the human rights and gendered dimensions of adaptation.

APA

Salamanca, A., Dwisasanti, N., Rigg, J., & Turner-Walker, S. (2013). Assessment of adaptation needs, policies and priorities: cases from Indonesian islands. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-AKP-2013-Assessment-adaptation-needs-Indonesian-islands.pdf

Chicago

Salamanca, Albert, Nina Dwisasanti, Joshua Rigg, and Skye Turner-Walker. Assessment of adaptation needs, policies and priorities: cases from Indonesian islands. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-AKP-2013-Assessment-adaptation-needs-Indonesian-islands.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Salamanca |first1=Albert |last2=Dwisasanti |first2=Nina |last3=Rigg |first3=Joshua |last4=Turner-Walker |first4=Skye |title=Assessment of adaptation needs, policies and priorities: cases from Indonesian islands |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-AKP-2013-Assessment-adaptation-needs-Indonesian-islands.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{salamanca2013assessment, author = {Salamanca, Albert and Dwisasanti, Nina and Rigg, Joshua and Turner-Walker, Skye}, title = {{Assessment of adaptation needs, policies and priorities: cases from Indonesian islands}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-AKP-2013-Assessment-adaptation-needs-Indonesian-islands.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }