Integrated Coastal Community Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction in Demak, Central Java

In Demak, Central Java, natural forces exacerbated by human activities have escalated coastal erosion to the point of damaging the ecological system and jeopardizing opportunities for socio-economic activities in coastal areas.  To mitigate the impact of coastal hazards and strengthen community resilience, the Indonesian Red Cross/Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI), with support from international partners, implemented the Coastal Community Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CCR-DRR). 

In the project, PMI worked with village volunteers to create Community Based Action Teams (CBAT) to conduct vulnerability and capacity assessments, collaborate with local authorities and scientists, develop sustainable livelihood initiatives to fund risk reduction measures, and implement small-scale mitigation efforts like planting coastal vegetation.  Focus group discussions with community members indicated that the project helped improve community capacity and knowledge related to disaster preparedness and laid the groundwork for the communities to continue on their efforts the initiatives and mitigation efforts after the CCR-DRR project came to an end. 

Overall, the project serves as an excellent example of an integrated approach that has proved successful for sustainable local action.