Building with Nature, Not Against It
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By: Yus Rusila Noor
Director, Wetlands International Indonesia
Jakarta and much of the northern coast of Java are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Coastal erosion, rapid land subsidence, and rising sea levels have displaced many families and damaged vast areas of rice fields and aquaculture ponds. These threats not only destroy infrastructure and homes, but also undermine food security and the livelihoods of millions.
In response to these challenges, the Government of Indonesia has shown growing interest in hybrid coastal protection approaches—combining engineered solutions with the services provided by natural ecosystems. As stated by the Director General of Water Resources at the Ministry of Public Works, Lilik Retno Cahyadiningsih, coastal defense on Java’s northern coast will not rely solely on concrete sea walls, but also incorporate mangrove greenbelts (Kompas.com, 09/04/2025).
This integrated thinking reflects a shift toward best practices in climate adaptation and coastal zone management—acknowledging that resilience cannot be built through engineering alone.
Why Are Hybrid Solutions Increasingly Important?
Concrete sea walls may offer short-term protection, especially in high-risk urban areas like Jakarta and Semarang. However, these "grey" infrastructures are expensive to build and maintain, can disrupt natural sediment flows, and cannot adapt to environmental changes. As erosion, tidal flooding, and land subsidence worsen, rigid defenses may fail—or simply shift the problem to other coastal areas.
In contrast, nature-based solutions like mangrove greenbelts offer more sustainable natural protection as well as Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). Healthy and wide mangrove belts can dissipate wave energy, trap sediment, reduce flooding and erosion, and support biodiversity and fisheries production—providing multiple benefits that concrete structures cannot.
Of course, in dense urban areas or around vital infrastructure, nature-based solutions alone are not sufficient. This is where hybrid solutions—an integrated approach combining "grey" infrastructure such as seawalls, breakwaters, and levees with nature-based interventions like mangrove conservation and restoration—become more effective. These approaches harness the strengths of both systems: the immediate and targeted protection of engineered structures, and the adaptive, long-term resilience with co-benefits provided by natural ecosystems.
Nature-based interventions are inherently flexible and can adapt to sea level rise, land subsidence, and coastal dynamics—without requiring complete reconstruction. Healthy mangroves, given enough space and sediment supply, can migrate landward naturally as sea levels rise.
Lessons from Demak, Central Java
This kind of integrated and adaptive coastal protection lies at the heart of hybrid engineering approaches that have been piloted in Indonesia. In Demak Regency, Central Java, a large-scale pilot initiative titled Building with Nature was implemented through collaboration between the Government of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In this initiative, permeable engineering structures were installed to trap sediment and allow mangrove forests to naturally regenerate on eroded lands. It also introduced an “associated mangrove aquaculture” (AMA) system that reconnects shrimp ponds with mangroves—restoring greenbelts that offer erosion protection and improve water quality for aquaculture.
Despite challenges, the results are promising. Within just a few years, mangrove belt defenses began to recover, stabilizing the coastline and enhancing aquaculture productivity—reviving hope among local communities.
Now, the Building with Nature approach is being scaled and adapted through national and global initiatives to drive wider transformation in coastal planning and management. Through inclusive landscape planning, strong policy and institutional frameworks, knowledge transfer and local capacity development, and smarter investments, we can build more resilient coastal landscapes across Indonesia.
Going forward, the success of hybrid engineering solutions in regions like Java’s northern coast depends on systemic and integrated approaches. Restoring ecological corridors—linking sea/river systems, mangrove forests, and productive aquaculture zones—can enhance aquaculture yields, protect communities from erosion and saltwater intrusion, and serve as natural buffers against other climate-driven hazards. These ecosystem services are essential for food security, coastal protection, and long-term economic sustainability.
Indonesia’s progressive steps toward hybrid solutions show readiness to adopt smart, sustainable, and inclusive development models. Now is the time to deepen this commitment.
The visit of the Dutch Trade Mission to Indonesia on June 16–19, 2025, is a strategic opportunity to realize this vision. The longstanding partnership between the Indonesian and Dutch governments in water management puts us in a strong position to jointly create and finance large-scale hybrid solutions across the archipelago.
Together, we can accelerate investments, expand innovations, and build coastal resilience—by working with nature, not against it.