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ID: 128416Added: 2008-07-27 17:26Modified: 2008-12-08 0:59Refreshed: 2010-03-13 13:25 
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IDRC-supported research in Indonesia addresses urban and rural environmental challenges, post-tsunami reconstruction, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development, the sustainable management of forests, and the environmental determinants of avian influenza. In the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami, the Government of Indonesia, international donors, and civil society organizations converged on the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. The experience was similar in Sri Lanka and an IDRC research partner in that country is now coordinating a study of how this aid exacerbated or alleviated existing conflicts in both countries. In Indonesia, the disaster eventually led to the August 2005 signing of a peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh movement. IDRC has long supported research on sustainable environmental and natural resource management in Indonesia. Jakarta is one of five global focus cities in which a multistakeholder team, led by the international development agency Mercy Corps Indonesia, is developing and testing ways to sustainably and profitably manage water, sanitation, and solid waste.
IDRC is also supporting a partnership between Indonesian civil society groups to develop community-based alternatives to urban waste management in Bali and East Java. Following Indonesia’s decentralization reforms in the late 1990s, IDRC has been supporting research to find local solutions to environmental issues. Long-standing IDRC-supported research by Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) led to the negotiation of joint forest management agreements between village authorities, local governments, and the state-owned forestry company Perum Perhutani to co-manage large teak plantations on the island of Java. Together with local Javanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs), LATIN has helped spread co-management approaches to other districts despite disruptions from illegal logging. Indonesia also adopted the model forest method of sustainable forest management, which IDRC has promoted internationally. The model forest approach, which is based on partnerships, involves all stakeholders in planning natural resource use. It was first applied in Canada. Two Indonesian forests, Berau and Margowitan, are part of the International Model Forest Network. The network’s secretariat, supported by IDRC and several Canadian federal government departments, has contributed to the forests’ development by sponsoring workshops and training opportunities. In 2004, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry adopted the model forest concept as a management tool. Another IDRC program, the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), has carried out several economic analyses of environmental problems in Indonesia. Established in 1993, the program funds research in 10 Asian countries. It provides training in this new field of economics, opportunities for the exchange of information among researchers, and publication outlets. EEPSEA receives support from the Canadian International Development Agency, the Swedish International Development Agency, and IDRC. Examples of EEPSEA-funded research in Indonesia include studies of the efficiency of forest plantations and the impact of a pesticide reduction program on household incomes. Indonesian researchers also participated in an EEPSEA study estimating the costs and impact of the 1997 forest fires in Indonesia and throughout the region. The study generated extensive media coverage and informed policy debates. In particular, the environment ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted one of the study’s main recommendations: to investigate alternatives to burning as a land-clearing method. IDRC has also supported the creation of the Asian Research Partnership for Avian Influenza Research (APAIR), in which the Indonesian Ministry of Health is participating along with other ministries and granting councils from Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Through this partnership, IDRC is supporting the study of social and environmental factors that contribute to the spread of disease, as well as protocols for developing national preparedness strategies. The promise that ICTs hold for development is particularly appealing in the world’s largest archipelago, where 219 million people are spread across thousands of islands. IDRC support enabled the Univesitas Terbuka, one of Asia’s most prominent and largest open universities, to test how Web-based courses and materials could increase course completion rates and satisfaction levels among adult learners. An additional IDRC grant helped Univesitas Terbuka replace lost learning materials and establish an Internet access point for students at its tsunami-devastated campus in Banda Aceh. The ICT for Development Collaboratory, a public enterprise established with IDRC’s support to the ASEAN Foundation, is also carrying out participatory research on the use of new technologies in Indonesia, where it is based. Another IDRC partner is conducting a three-nation survey of homeworkers and ICTs. The initiative, which also involves Malaysia and Thailand, aims to find out how women homeworkers can harness ICTs for business and work. IDRC first funded research in Indonesia in 1972. Early support focused on agriculture, tropical diseases and other health risks, contraception, and education. The Centre has allocated more than CA$29 million to 179 research initiatives involving Indonesia, some of them regional in scope. Seven projects are currently active, representing allocations of CA$2.8 million. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSPost-Tsunami Reconstruction in the Context of ConflictWhen a devastating tsunami hit the shores of South and Southeast Asia in December 2004, it killed some 240 000 people, displaced more than 1 million, and washed away the possessions and livelihoods of many more. The international community responded to the enormous losses with an influx of aid. International NGOs, some of which had no previous presence or experience in the region, sought to deliver humanitarian assistance to the survivors. In Aceh, Indonesia, and in Sri Lanka, the devastation and rehabilitation in the tsunami’s aftermath also intersected with, and shaped the politics of ongoing civil wars. Militant groups and government forces launched new battles over people, land, livelihoods, and humanitarian/development aid. Immediately after the tsunami, separatist forces in Aceh and the Indonesian army informally ceased fighting. Conflict subsequently resumed, but the two parties eventually signed a peace agreement in August 2005. In Sri Lanka, however, fighting has intensified. The Sri Lankan International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), based in Colombo, is coordinating a study of how aid programs carried out by the state, international NGOs, and rebels can increase or reduce conflict. ICES is drawing on a multidisciplinary group of researchers in Canada, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere to conduct in-depth analyses of seven communities in Aceh and Sri Lanka. They will also interview representatives from key international, national and local institutions, as well as government departments and agencies.
Opportunity for Good Forest GovernanceMost of Indonesia’s large teak plantations are located on the heavily populated island of Java. Local Javanese communities have long been at loggerheads with authorities to gain access to these forests, but new developments have created an opportunity for cooperation. Decentralization of responsibilities to local governments has generated interest among village authorities to co-manage the forests; as well, illegal logging and the fact that many forests are in a re-growth stage have made the state forestry company more open to discussion. Previous IDRC support enabled the Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) Institute to take advantage of this opportunity to negotiate agreements based on its joint forest management approach. As other NGOs learned of this success, the idea spread. At last count, some 70 agreements existed and local governments were promoting more. This project is allowing LATIN to continue its efforts and to participate in the national debate on the decentralization of forest management. The LATIN experience off ers a unique contribution to this debate.
Urban areas of Indonesia generate about 55 000 tonnes of solid waste per day, an amount that is expected to triple by 2025. Only about 50 to 60 percent of the urban waste is collected, and landfill sites are mostly open dumps. Besides an inability to cover operational costs, current efforts to manage solid waste are confounded by the lack of proper logistics and infrastructure, a shortage of available land, and conflicts between communities. IDRC and the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association are supporting two Indonesian NGOs, BEST and Bali Fokus, to develop and validate models of decentralized solid waste management for low-income urban areas. They will also assess the models for cost recovery, technical sustainability, and social impact. Their work promotes a forum for dialogue and consensus building between local governments and national policymaking institutions, as well as discussions between the communities themselves on good practices and ways forward for decentralized solid waste management.
Pakistan and Indonesia have formally committed to gender equality, but women in those countries still face gender-related discrimination and violence, and suffer from preventable health problems. Researchers, health advocates, and community activists in Karachi and Jakarta, aided by Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, are working to address these issues. They believe that women are subordinate in their respective societies because their reproductive lives are linked to patriarchal interpretations of Islam. This grant enabled researchers from the Pakistan Association of Women’s Studies and the University of Jakarta’s graduate program in women’s studies to lead multidisciplinary teams in collecting and analyzing narratives from two or three generations of women in 10 families from each country. Memorial University’s Women’s Studies Program trained them in qualitative, life-story research methods. The knowledge produced in training workshops has been enthusiastically received and passed on by the participants to wider groups of women researchers and activists, especially in Indonesia. The teams are comparing results between cultures, evaluating the research approach, publishing academic papers and educational materials for health and women’s rights advocates, and recommending policy changes.
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