Water resources, sustainability and societal livelihoods in Indonesia

Rapid national development and increasing population pressures on land resources have caused serious social and environmental problems in Indonesia that require concerted efforts to overcome and proper resource management. A series of national programs dealing with the problem of linking the water environment and community livelihoods were created, and they are being implemented around the country under a framework of broad guidelines for sustainable development and integrated water resources management. This paper presents a brief description of Indonesian water and environmental resources, followed by an overview of progress in and development of an ecohydrological approach that has been introduced during the past decade. It was recognized that the approach provides a strong scientific basis and is in line with the needs and efforts being promoted through national movements in natural resource management to guarantee societal livelihoods and sustainable national development.