Children on Maratua Island, one of the adoption Islands of SIDI ITS (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

ITS Campus, ITS News – with total ownership of more than 17 thousand Islands, Indonesia is still faced with the inequitable development of coastal areas. Through Sustainable Island Development Initiatives (SIDI), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) seeks to accelerate equitable development through the small islands.

Dr. Ing Setyo Nugroho, the secretary of SIDI explained, a program initiated by ITS lecturers and researchers, in response to the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries mandate to the college to develop a small island in Indonesia. Shaped by research and community empowerment, SIDI embodies ITS contributions to build the island. “This development is based on the 3P, the people, planet, and profit,” he said.

Setyo, his familiar greeting, continues that people need development that can empower the community. Whereas planets are oriented towards execution and environmentally friendly policies. When both are fulfilled, the aim to empower the island community economy in accordance with the expected profit can be achieved. “These three principles are also known as the blue economy,” he said.

This Program is a series of research and community empowerment activities, as a contribution to ITS thinking and innovation to participate in building the island. Dr. Ing Setyo Nugroho, the SIDI Secretary explained that the development was based on three pillars commonly referred to as 3P, the acronym of people, Planets, and profit. “These three pillars are the sustainability itself,” he said.

Sustainable Island Development Initiatives (SIDI), ITS initiative to develop small islands in Indonesia (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

PThe man who had served as Vice of Dean of the Faculty of Marine Technology (FTK) explained, the SIDI retainer, be it a lecturer, researcher, and partner of Germany departing from different disciplines. Not only that, but SIDI also invited students to join through the program Student Research and Development Team (SR & DT). “Because we are aware, developing the island involves many aspects,” he said.

The establishment of SIDI itself is characterized by a cooperation agreement between ITS, Wismar University of Applied Science Germany, the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries, and the government of Berau District, East Kalimantan. Coinciding with ITS 52 Dies Natalis on 10 November 2012. SIDI then adopted two small islands, namely Poteran Island in Sumenep Regency and Maratua Island in East Kalimantan.

Agroindustrial Development in Poteran

In its milestone, SIDI focuses on developing the agribusiness sector of Poteran Island known as the producer of agricultural commodities. Seeing the potential of the region that is still natural and far from pollution, selected kelor plants as the main commodity developed. “This magic tree has a high selling value when the quality is maintained by the organic planting system,” continued the lecturer of Department of Marine Transportation Engineering ITS

Embracing researchers of the Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, the SIDI team conducted a study on organic farming systems to be developed in Poteran. Furthermore, together with the partners from Wismar University and the SR & DT team, they carried out planting as many as 45 thousand kelor plants. “To empower the Poteran community, we also design a cleaning tool and a kelor dryer”, he explained.

Design of cleaning and drying of plants from the SIDI team to help empower the Poteran Island community (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

Development Based on Tourism Industry in Maratua

If Poteran developed through the agribusiness sector, it is different from Maratua. Along with the rising amount of visitors in the Derawan Islands, the potential of Maratua Island as a tourist island is getting into a positive trend. Prof. Ir Eko Budi Djatmiko MSc Ph.D., the chief executive of SIDI mentioned, the development of Maratua Island will be done as an effort to make it a superior tourist destination.

Eko, the familiar greeting the FTK professor said, the principle of sustainability remains the choice of SIDI in building Maratua. This principle is one of the efforts to preserve the environment and natural resources. Also, it aims to avoid excess exploitation that leads to environmental damage. “The environment is broken, the beauty offered will also not last long,” he explained.

Panorama of Maratua Island, SIDI ITS Adoption Island in Berau, East Kalimantan (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

On this island surrounded by white sand and mangrove forest, many things are researched and developed by SIDI. Unmitigated, tourism support infrastructure becomes its main target. Inter-island connectivity studies to airport design, lodging, and waste management systems continue to run. “All are developed with a saving pattern of water use, lighting and natural aspiration to suppress the consumption of electricity, as well as utilizing local materials,” he explained.

Eko added, to create an ideal fulfillment system for the island Maratua developed a sustainable system of energy fulfillment of the island. If the previous electrification was done using diesel, now developed studies for the installation of solar panels and windmills. “In addition to saving the cost of diesel fuel, also to reduce carbon emissions,” said the man who once served as the dean of the FTK ITS.

Eco-friendly lodging design designed by SIDI for Maratua Island (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

Help Develop Natuna

Successfully development in Poteran and Maratua, SIDI did not stop. In addition to continuously monitoring the development of both its adoption islands, the SIDI has the opportunity to develop new islands with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Starting in 2017, SIDI participated in the development of Natuna Island, one of the islands in the border area.

The island that is in the province of Riau Islands has a strategic location, in addition to its role as an international trade route. The SIDI team also formulated five ideas consisting of digital infrastructures, digital solutions, science diplomacy, agro-marine, and regional innovation Systems (SIDa). “The five programs will run until 2020 upcoming,” said Eko.

Student Research and Development Team (SR & DT) Maratua Batch 2, student who also became part of SIDI in Maratua Island development (source : sidi.its.ac.id )

Set a Step Forward

All the initiatives that have been built by SIDI since 2012 are the first steps to build the Indonesian archipelago in the future. The studies and research conducted on the three small islands have been brought to various corners of the world in dozens of conferences. Starting from here, SIDI with ITS will continue to continue the initiative to develop the lagging islands, the forefront, and the outermost.

The seriousness of this intention is confirmed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between ITS and the Ministry of Village, Development and Disadvantaged Region and Transmigration. Through an understanding has done right after the title of the SIDI International Conference last September, now ITS is incorporated in the college forum for the village. And, here is ITS devotion to the country, committed to continue to connect the steps, build small islands in Indonesia. (yus/hen/rev)