Mataram, University of Mataram – The Marine Science Study Program Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Mataram (Unram) held a public lecture with the theme “Development of Coastal and Small Islands in NTB: Optimizing the Potential of Natural Resources and Sustainable Community Empowerment” which took place in the Senate Conference Room, Rectorate of Unram on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

This public lecture presented two distinguished speakers in the field of marine and fisheries, Prof. Dr. Ir. Dietriech G. Bengen, DEA, Professor of IPB University and Dr. Agus Suherman, S.Pi., M.Si, Expert Staff of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for Social, Economic and Cultural Affairs.

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Prof. Dr. Ir. Dietriech G. Bengen, DEA, delivered a presentation on “Conception and Assessment of Ocean Health Towards Sustainable Management of Coastal Areas and Small Islands”. He emphasized the importance of understanding the contribution of Indonesia’s ocean as a vital resource, ranging from food sources, transportation and trade, to marine tourism. The ocean also plays an important role in environmental protection as well as a source of renewable energy and the ocean also stores energy reserves such as oil, gas and mineral reserves.

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Prof. Dietriech also reminded that Indonesia’s oceans face major challenges, including overfishing, marine pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

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In his presentation, he also gave an in-depth explanation of the importance of the marine health index assessment to measure the condition of Indonesia’s marine ecosystem as a whole, and hoped that this activity could be continued with a workshop.

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“I hope this activity can be continued with a workshop so that the material on marine health assessment can be learned more deeply and applied by the participants,” said Prof. Dietriech.

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Meanwhile, Dr. Agus Suherman, S.Pi., M.Si., gave a presentation on “Socio-Economic Conditions of Coastal and Small Island Communities in Support of Coastal and Small Island Area Development.” In his presentation, Dr. Agus raised social, economic, and cultural issues faced by coastal and small island communities in NTB.

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Dr. Agus emphasized the importance of empowering coastal communities in sustainable natural resource management to support the development of coastal areas.

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Dr. Agus also highlighted various programs that can be implemented to improve the welfare of coastal communities and strengthen economic resilience in coastal areas. “Community empowerment is not only about improving economic welfare, but also about how they can adapt to environmental changes and utilize the potential of natural resources in a sustainable manner,” he explained.

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Optimizing the potential of natural resources must be in line with the empowerment of local communities, in order to create a balance between economic development, environmental conservation, and social sustainability. The public lecture was attended by Unram academicians, lecturers, researchers, and students who were very enthusiastic in participating in question and answer sessions and discussions.

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Unram continues to be committed to being at the front lines in facilitating dialog between academics, government, and society, and encouraging the implementation of science-based policies. Hopefully, this collaboration can bring real change to the welfare of coastal communities and sustainable natural resource management in NTB and Indonesia. This public lecture leads to stronger synergy between all parties in actualizing inclusive and sustainable fisheries developmen