The Potential Of The Indonesian Sea Is Optimized Through The Blue Economy

Ocean illustration (doc. intermediate)

JAKARTA - The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, early September 2023, resulted in an important agreement. Especially for marine economic growth.

In the Chairman's Statement on September 5, 2023, the leaders agreed to adopt the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework in order to create added value and an inclusive and sustainable chain of marine resource value, by building a blue economy as a new engine to increase growth in the region.

Indonesia is the country with the largest marine economy in ASEAN, with an added value of the fisheries sector of around 27 billion US dollars, according to Blue Economy: Development Framework for Indonesia's Economic Transformation 2021.

With the second-longest Indonesian coastline in the world (108 thousand kilometers); the second-largest fisheries producer in the world; and the second-largest coral reef area in the world: 2.5 million hectares; the marine sector in the country should indeed be a source of livelihood and driving motor for the local and national economy.

However, with all these advantages, has the Indonesian marine sector brought the expected economic and financial benefits? The answer, reflects how much marine potential has not been fully optimized and the blue economy is an effective solution.

To encourage the implementation of the blue economy in ASEAN, and especially Indonesia, collaborative efforts between the government and stakeholders are important.

The definition of the blue economy for Indonesia refers to the explanation of Article 14 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 32/2014 concerning Maritime Affairs, namely an approach to improve sustainable marine management, marine conservation and coastal resources and its ecosystem to realize economic growth with the principle of community involvement, resource efficiency, minimizing waste, and double added value.

"ocean management in a sustainable manner" is a keyword to ensure that all marine sector business activities are carried out to achieve profits in ways that do not damage the health of marine ecosystems.