Indonesia’s geographic complexity is shaped by the convergence of three major tectonic plates, the Indo-Australian Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Pacific Plate, said Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for the 2017–2025 period.
While this convergence brings fertility, it also poses disaster risks that require a consistent scientific approach. She explained that Indonesia’s natural dynamics trigger thousands of earthquakes each year, affecting the stability of people’s living spaces.
“Seismic activity in Indonesia can reach up to 10,000 events annually,” said Professor Karnawati during the Pojok Bulaksumur Discussion titled Deepening the Archipelago Paradigm as a Foundation for Understanding Indonesia’s Archipelagic Geography, initiated by the Board of Professors of Universitas Gadjah Mada (DGB UGM) and held online on UGM’s YouTube channel on Wednesday (Dec. 10).
Beyond tectonic factors, climate change further exacerbates regional vulnerability. According to Professor Karnawati, rising global temperatures accelerate the hydrological cycle, increasing the frequency of extreme rainfall. This condition has led to a growing number of recorded hydrometeorological disasters across regions.
“The formation of cumulonimbus clouds is intensifying, and heavy rainfall is occurring more frequently,” she said.
Professor Karnawati then outlined challenges in applying science to public policymaking. She noted that data-driven recommendations often lose strength when confronted with competing interests on the ground. She recounted instances where scientifically mapped disaster-prone zones were altered during approval processes.
“Zones that should have been classified as red turned yellow and were eventually redeveloped into urban areas,” she revealed.
She added that continuous innovation in marine monitoring developed by BMKG is essential to ensuring maritime transportation safety. Digital systems and artificial intelligence–based sensors now enable the detection of risks for vessels across Indonesian waters, supporting the protection of national trade and fisheries.
“Ships at sea can be detected, and their safety risks can be calculated in real time,” she explained.
Dr. Agung Satriyo Nugroho from UGM’s Center for Archipelagic Geography and Development Studies presented findings from a decade of research by the ARE Expedition team on archipelagic resilience.
He highlighted that resilience approaches have largely focused on individuals, leaving regional aspects insufficiently addressed. Their research introduced the concept of regional resilience, emphasizing the robustness of small island systems.
“Resilience in a regional context remains underexplored, hence the need for a new area-based approach,” Dr. Nugroho explained.
Dr. Nugroho further noted that many small islands across the archipelago remain underdeveloped, despite serving as densely populated and vulnerable habitats for maritime communities.
Through the ARE Expedition, his team explored these areas and developed a resilience framework based on survival strategies. He stressed the importance of meeting basic needs such as clean water, food, energy, communication, and shelter.
“Small islands must be managed using survival strategies so communities can endure when disasters occur,” he emphasized.
Chair of DGB UGM, Professor M. Baiquni, said Indonesia’s natural and cultural wealth has been shaped by long geological processes. He explained that understanding the relationship between humans and the environment is key to developing science-based policies.
The archipelago paradigm, he noted, offers a perspective that integrates land and sea as a single strategic ecosystem.
“We need to study geography to develop the strengths of our archipelago,” Professor Baiquni said.
He also cautioned that development challenges arise when on-the-ground practices do not align with an archipelagic perspective.
Professor Baiquni pointed to recurring issues such as pollution, flooding, land clearing, and economic pressures caused by spatial use without a sustainability framework. These conditions underscore the need for planning that is more sensitive to Indonesia’s identity as a maritime nation.
“Many practices fail to apply the archipelagic paradigm, causing development problems to persist,” he remarked.
Secretary of DGB UGM, Professor Wahyudi Kumorotomo, reaffirmed the importance of a geomaritime paradigm in building national awareness of Indonesia’s maritime character. He cited examples demonstrating the need to strengthen education and policies aligned with Indonesia’s archipelagic nature.
Professor Kumorotomo also highlighted the importance of special recognition for archipelagic districts to ensure regional management better reflects local needs.
“As a maritime nation, we need to reorganize our education system and understanding of maritime living spaces,” he concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Salma
Photographs: Pexels and UGM’s YouTube Channel