Developing the Balikpapan Bay and Watershed Management Plan

In East Kalimantan (the Indonesian section of the island of Borneo), the Indonesia Coastal Resources Management Project (CRMP) focused on ecosystem-based management of Balikpapan Bay and its watershed — the commercial and industrial hub of the province's coastal ecosystem. Activities taking place along the shoreline in the Bay include a lumber industry, oil drilling and refining, capture fisheries, aquaculture, and harbor support services.

The project activities in East Kalimantan began in 1998 with a vision to develop a model for river basin ecosystem-based and inter-jurisdictional management planning for Balikpapan Bay while enhancing awareness, building partnerships and networks, and strengthening provincial and local government capacity to implement the plan. The strategic goal of CRMP’s East Kalimantan program was to integrate land and water management through locally tailored coastal resources management partnerships.

The CRMP’s major partners in East Kalimantan included the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan, the City (Kota) Government of Balikpapan, the Regency Governments of Pasir, Penajam Paser Utara, and Kutai Kartanegara, Local Parliaments (DPRDs), Mulawarman University, the private sector, communities, the mass media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

CRMP developed a profile of the issues and status of the Balikpapan Bay watershed that — now summarized in the Balikpapan Bay Profile, a key component within the overall process of developing the Balikpapan Bay Management Plan (BBMP). To garner widespread knowledge and support of the profile, a major local newspaper printed 30,000 copies of the report and made it a special insert. The awareness created by the profile alone already resulted in a moratorium on shrimp mariculture in one delta region.

The project also undertook a series of studies on various aspects of Balikpapan Bay management, including on the conditions of the Bay, mangroves, water quality, and fisheries. In addition, an extensive geographic information systems (GIS) database with maps was created and shared among the various stakeholders.

Resulting from the CRMP’s efforts in the province, The Balikpapan Bay Management Strategic Plan was signed in July 2002 by the Governor of East Kalimantan, Regents (Bupatis) of three Regencies (Pasir, Penajam Paser Utara, Kutai Kartanegara), and the Mayor of Balikpapan, and was witnessed by the Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries. The Balikpapan Bay Strategic Management Plan and the agreement that commits these multiple jurisdictions to work together will serve as a model for other bay and watershed planning throughout Indonesia. Local Governments established the Bay Management Council (BMC) that is chaired by the Governor. Initial implementation actions are being carried out.

The CRMP supported the development of a new NGO, Selamatkan Teluk Balikpapan (YSTB) or Save Balikpapan Bay Foundation, as a non-governmental organization that grew from public participation and focuses solely on community-based coastal resource management.