According to Giri et al. (2011), the Special Region of Yogyakarta (SRY) is situated in the southern part of Central Java and has abundant potential to grow in the tourism sector. The natural beauty of Yogyakarta promotes ecotourism and contributes to the regional income (Salem & Mercer, 2012). Another uniqueness of SRY is its smart culture, which highlights the cosmological axis of Yogyakarta and its historical landmarks (Jogja et al., 2021). During the study visit to Gunung Kidul and Parangtritis Beach, we observed various tourism activities, including hospitality such as homestays, hotels and resorts and leisure tourist attractions such as Obelix Seaview, ATV, jeep and horse rides. Parangtritis Beach is connected to nearby beaches, Cemara Sewu and Depok Beach and close to Gunung Kidul. Barchan sand dunes are crucial to coastal management besides an ecotourism attraction.
Another site, Karimunjawa Island, is located north of Central Java and surrounded by the Java Sea. The journey from Jepara Harbour to Karimunjawa Island will take 2 hours and 30 minutes. The island is accessible by ferry from Semarang, which will take a 7-hour ride and the local airport, Dewadaru Airport, operated by chartered from Yogyakarta, Semarang or Bali. Karimunjawan island is located in the Java Sea and is also known as Marine Paradise of Java (Wonderful Indonesia) because of the beautiful reefs and marine life. The main economic activities are tourism, including scuba diving, snorkelling, local businesses, and shrimp farming. Most businesses rely on tourists, and the number of tourists usually increases during the weekend. The locals run the economic activities.
Another island close to Jepara is Panjang Island, which is 15 minutes away and accessible by boat. According to the boat driver, the total capacity of passengers is around 16 people, and the fee for the ride is $2.25 (IDR 35,000). During the short trip, we encountered four offshore aquaculture, and according to the interview with the locals, the aquaculture activity will occur between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m daily. In another interview conducted with the respondent, the third generation of her family, she runs a stall selling food and beverages besides rental equipment for the customers who are snorkelling on Panjang Island.
Assessment of Coastal Hazard
Coastal and marine areas are exposed to natural hazards or humankind’s activities. For instance, coastal erosion and sedimentation are natural phenomena faced by these locations: Parangtritis Beach, Jepara, Karimunjawa Island and Panjang Island. In addressing the concerns, coastal assessment is required to understand the topography and formation of the coastal areas. Besides, researchers and local authorities must consider resources like technology, human capital, etc.
Parangtritis Beach is famous among the local tourists, but swimming activities are prohibited due to its geographical distance, the open sea and rip currents. A rip current is a phenomenon where the narrow current of water moves away from the shore and is affected by the beach cusps. Furthermore, Parangtritis Beach is prone to natural disasters, mainly tsunamis, because the location is close to the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates (R. Triatmadja, 2015). The recent tsunami 2006 ranged from 2.8 to 5.5 metres (Kongko, 2012a). The evacuation response is estimated to take around 10 minutes. However, with the accessible one-way route from the West-Opak Bridge to the East of Panggang (Alwi & Mutaqin, 2021), it seems challenging to respond. Hence, the Bantul Authority’s mitigation action prohibits settlements 200 meters from the shoreline.
Interestingly, the geomorphological landscape of sand dunes is formed in Parangkusumo, and according to Danin (1996), sand dunes are correlated to biological and ecological activity. The characteristics of sand dunes include shapes, formation and movement (Bagnold, 1941; Wiggs, 2001; Andreotti et al., 2002; Herrmann, 2006). The condition of sand dunes can either be active, fixed or partially active. Several factors drive the formation of sand dunes, such as wind power, vegetation, precipitation, and evapotranspiration. The sand in the Special Region of Yogyakarta’s coast is ejected from Merapi Volcano (Khakhim, N. et al. (2021), which also affects the climatological condition of sand dunes. Although the coastal sand dune ecosystem is ecologically and geomorphologically essential, there is a lack of studies, understanding and appreciation of sand dune values and usage (Everard et al., 2010; Barbier et al., 2011). Therefore, vegetation in the coastal areas may affect the sand dunes, and preserving them is important.
Meanwhile, shrimp farming in Kemujan began in 2016 and has grown exponentially in 2018. The growth of shrimp farming has caused concern among the local community. According to R. Oktaqiara (2023), the shrimp farm has led to seawater intrusion into the well water, whereby there is mud and pungent scent from the sewage drains. The liquid and solid waste produced and released will accelerate mold growth in the sea (R. Oktaqiara, 2023). The effect may affect the livelihood and ecosystem of marine life.
Coastal Management Tailored to Resources at the Coastal Areas
Coastal erosion management is a unique, intertwined and interactive approach to addressing the coastal erosion processes to minimise the economic and social implications (Rangel-Buitrago & Neal, 2018). Based on the observation throughout all the visits, different locations have implemented a different approach to cater to coastal erosion. For instance, the Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta is working with the Bantul Regency and Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) towards conserving the sand dune areas because the sand dune activity is one approach to managing coastal erosion. In contrast, the Jepara harbour adopted the protection approach, which equipped the harbour with tetraports and a breakwater system to manage the coastal area. In Karimunjawa Island, the mixed approaches, where protection and use of nature are adopted and near the harbour are the breakwaters installed beside mangroves, seagrass bed and coral reefs. Seagrass beds and coral reefs have significant environmental impacts and impact the country’s fishery resources. Similarly, Panjang Island has a breakwater and mangrove planted by the coast.
The visit to the tide station in Karimunjawa Island is operated by technical experts from Pusat Jaring Kontrol Geodisi dan Geodinamika under Geospatial Information Agency (BIG). The BIG is accountable for carrying out the governmental tasks in the geospatial information, such as the basic, thematic and infrastructure of geospatial information. The unit is responsible for strategising the planning and program, formulating and managing the technical setting, the procedure, standard, specification, data management and geospatial information. The collaboration is established between government agencies, private and local communities. The tide station is responsible for collecting the real-time data of the tide gap of 50km average through the pressure sensor installed. The 2×2 tide station is located in less dense populated coastal areas and away from human activities. The information gathered is observed and analysed as a preliminary step to trigger tsunamis. If there is a potential tsunami hazard, the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) will escalate to the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) for further action. The system is operated using decentralised renewable energy, which is solar panels. The communication between the station and the main data centre using the GPRS system. The information retrieved from the system is published on an open site, where visitors can retrieve the data 24 hours, weekly and monthly. To date, Indonesia has 260 tide stations operating, two in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and one in Karimunjawa. Based on the interview with Pak Bayu, the tide station in Karimunjawa involved the local community where the Geospatial Information Agency works with the harbour master.
Another key takeaway is the harmonious public-private partnership effort through the corporate social responsibility program. According to the local community near the harbour, the utility firm in Indonesia, Perusahaan Listrik National, has conducted CSR activity on Panjang Island. The effort is an example of the involvement between business and society in managing the coastal area.
Future of Coastal Management
In a nutshell, many countries cannot deny that coastal hazards occur because most urbanisation and economic activities rely on coastal areas. Coastal management requires all stakeholders, including us, besides political and social willingness. Hence, empowerment in knowledge and building an understanding of coastal management issues should be rolled out. The coastal areas are not affecting our economy only, but the coastal areas are related to environmental and community livelihood. Therefore, multifaceted solutions should be designed to manage the coastal areas properly.