After 30+ hours of traveling, some of which were shared with ICMA fellows who were finishing up their 5 week fellowship in the U.S. and traveling back home to various places in Southeast Asia, I arrived in Semarang.  The week has been incredibly inspiring.  Our team is working very well together and on the first day, Hamid, our expert from Gold Coast was able to identify a critical gap in Semarang’s understanding of their coastal erosion problem.  With more data collection and analysis, there is a potential to completely alter the way in which Semarang is battling their disappearing coastline.  Since the first day’s breakthrough, we have taken multiple visits to the field to see things first hand, and have met with numerous organizations which are also working to help the city deal with its climate change issues. One notable program is the extensive planting of mangroves forests over the past few years to help retain the coastline and reclaim commercial fishing ponds.  Hopefully this new perspective from Gold Coast will have a large and lasting effect on the work which is already being done.

Hamid, our Gold Coast expert checking out the mangroves in the commercial fishing ponds.

 

Annisa,a student of our UCCRN expert who doubled as a translator is explaining to Hamid that there are 3 types of mangroves being planted in the area.

 

A local fisherman preparing to toss a net in the unusually high coastal waters.

 

A mangrove nursery which was created as an alternative way to make money by a fisherman whose ponds were destroyed by floods.

 

The woman in pink was the brainchild behind the nursery idea and allowed our team to check out her operations. From left to right: Safrinal (Semarang contact) Putut (director of marine and fishery agency), Annisa (translator), Lintang (fellow student of UCCRN expert), Nameless woman (owner of nursery), Hamid, Professor Aris (UCCRN), Me, local fisherman and nursery laborer).

 

A young boy helping his father raise the ground floor of their home so it will be higher than the flood level.