The enactment of Law No. 1 Year 2014 on Management of Coastal Areas and Islets gives authorities for government to establish regulations zonation planning. According to professor in Geomorphology of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Prof.Dr.rer.nat. Muh. Aris Marfai, M.Sc., arrangement of coastal areas through zonation was important. Currently, many interests are existing that causes coastal utilisation management overlapping.
“Zonation can help coastal areas management, so utilisation of these areas will not cause conflicts,” he said on Monday (7/3) at Faculty of Geography UGM.
Aris said zonation would minimise over-exploitation of coastal resources, such as use of groundwater. He saw the need for strong implementation of the regulation of coastal areas management, especially currently migration is done by people to the coastal areas. This is because resources are plentiful there for use by many industries, fish farming, and settlement.
Aris said this phenomenon not only happened in Indonesia, but also most developing countries. This topic became the main issue at the International Conference on New Regional Formations: Rapid Environmental Change and Migration in Coastal Areas running from 7-8 March at Faculty of Geography UGM.
The international conference presented speakers from the Netherlands and Germany as well as related government agencies, such as Development Planning Agency from Semarang city, etc. Recommendations are expected to arise from this event to address problems related to environment change due to migration to coastal areas.
“This migration causes rapid environment change. But after the damage to the environment, many people abandon such areas,” the event chairman said.
The geography professor said that through the zonation for coastal amanagement, hopefully all areas there can be utilised appropriately. Thus, they can give positive impacts on the economic and social condition whilst not damaging the environment and resources.