Immediately following the 2004 tsunami, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) worked with environmental authorities in Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Seychelles, Yemen, and Somalia to conduct an environmental assessment of tsunami impacts and provide recommendations for reconstruction. Some of the key findings of the assessment, which were recorded in After the Tsunami: UNEP's Rapid Environmental Assessment Report, related to the following:
- The need to rehabilitate coastal ecosystems, which provide a first line of defence against natural hazards;
- Saltwater and wastewater contamination of soil and groundwater wells;
- The threat of hazardous debris to public health;
- The environmental consequences of damage to infrastructure, including industrial sites;
- The impact of the tsunami on the populations' livelihoods and;
- The over-stretching of environmental management capacities in the aftermath of the tsunami.
UNEP conducted a follow-up assessment of environmental impacts two years after the tsunami.
The work in Indonesia comprised the following activities:
Integrating environmental concerns in reconstruction
Working through the UN country team in Indonesia, we provided technical assistance to and worked closely with the Ministry of Environment and Indonesia's agency for reconstruction in Aceh and Nias (BRR) in all its assessment activities. Officials were trained in environmental assessment methods, spatial planning and waste management issues.
To ensure that post-tsunami reconstruction efforts have a minimal negative environmental impact, we developed technical guidance for re-vegetation projects and environmentally appropriate building techniques.
We also assisted BRR in developing a Strategic Environment Framework (SEF), which serves as the basis for integrating environmental concerns into the reconstruction process.
At the local level, we assisted communities in rebuilding by supporting mangrove re-vegetation projects, education and awareness projects, and promoting the sharing of technology and best practices between villages, in cooperation with Wetlands International.
Mitigating environmental risk
In response to a number of natural disasters, including the Yogyakarta earthquake and Mt Merapi volcanic eruption, UNEP assisted the Indonesian Ministry of Environment in conducting an environmental risk assessment. The government has now adopted a disaster reduction policy framework.
Following hot mudflows near Sidoarjo, Java, we assisted the Ministry of Environment and the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency in establishing engineered wetlands and in the environmentally sound management of the mud.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Recognizing that Indonesia is a country prone to natural hazards, UNEP assisted the Ministry of Environment to develop a framework for disaster risk reduction. Training was provided to Ministry staff on spatial planning and mangrove rehabilitation projects are contributing to minimizing the impacts of natural hazards.
UNEP finalized work under our post-tsunami reconstruction programme at the end of 2007.
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)
The Eco-DRR project is implemented in the South Tapanuli District in Northern Sumatra. The key risk in this context is that degraded peatlands are prone to fire and subsidence, with the latter causing prolonged flooding. To address this, the project aims to increase community resilience towards peat fire and peat subsidence, as well as enable sustainable development through the implementation of Eco-DRR practices in peatland ecosystems in Indonesia. Specifically, the project seeks to increase the adoption of Eco-DRR practices in peatland ecosystems to enhance community resilience.
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Key implementing partners: Wetlands International Indonesia, along with village and sub-district authorities
