Ini subtitle
Biodiversity and Tourism: Scientific Advice, Vision for the Future and Case Study of the Resilience of the Richest Reefs Program
Speakers
Event Details
Biodiversity is, on the one hand, under threat on a global scale, while on the other hand it represents a riches which is vast, yet ill-understood. Indonesia is in the fortunate circumstance that its territory includes biodiversity hotspots both on land and at sea. Both at the global and the local scale, development, with its base in industrialization, carbon economy, increasing consumption of both agricultural products and natural and mineral resources, is often seen as diametrically opposed to the preservation of biodiversity. However, if we want to achieve all UN Societal Development Goals we will have to find ways to safeguard biodiversity while providing equitable and sustainable development.
In 2019, the Indonesian Young Academy (ALMI) and the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI) published a Scientific Advisory Report entitled “Science for Indonesia’s Biodiversity” (SIB) [https://aipi.or.id/frontend/book/read/4232594859413d3d]. SIB encompasses both an in-depth study of the topic as well as bold advice on an agenda to invest in science based development of ecotourism, bioprospecting and deep-sea exploration.
In this double session, a presentation on and discussion of SIB, with its broad analysis and vision will be accompanied by the experiences and first findings of an interdisciplinary research development programme entitled Resilience of the Richest Reefs (RRR). RRR will collect local knowledge and ecological measurements to map out future scenarios for one of the richest reefs in the world, the Bird’s Head Seascape (BHS), in West Papua, Indonesia. While most coral reef studies focus on pathways of degradation, RRR aims to beat the system to the punch and use knowledge gained of interactions and dynamics of the local social-ecological system to identify pathways to build resilience against current threats such as climate change and increasing tourism.