Transformative Process Using Critical Systemic Intervention in Banten Province, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper documents engagement with the community aimed at supporting social and environmental justice. A coastal community provides insights into the impacts of climate change where mangroves are under threat (resulting in storm surges) and where the downstream effects of inorganic fertilizers, plastic, and other debris impact marine life. Transformative potential lies in engaging coastal communities together with Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa and Universitas Padjadjaran to protect marine life, beaches, and mangroves – supporting a local circular green economy that sustains seaweeds, fish, and crustaceans, as well as ecotourism along the Cidurian–Cisadane river banks. In other areas, the pressure to make ends meet during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has been acutely felt by women and young people. Indebtedness to loan sharks during COVID-19, when small enterprises suffered, has placed additional pressure on vulnerable groups struggling to survive. This critical ethnography for transformative praxis argues that local communities should participate in multifaceted solutions to address the social and economic factors impacting coastal environments. The study offers practical insights into Banten’s coastal community dynamics with reference to climate change and the implications of “business-as-usual”. It contributes to discussions on developing a local circular green economy (with potential for ecotourism) and highlights how the pandemic’s economic pressures on women and youth call for inclusive, networked governance solutions.