IPB University Lecturer Wins Grant Competition from Kenan Foundation Asia and US Embassy Mission to ASEAN
IPB University lecturer from the Department of Resource and Environmental Economics (ESL), Faculty of Economics and Management, Osmaleli, SE, MSi won a grant competition from Kenan Foundation Asia and the United State (US) Embassy Mission to ASEAN. At that moment, Osmaleli as the team leader carried the project ‘Enhancing Mangrove Conservation for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation’.
This competition is one of the activities of the Young Southeast Asian Leader Initiative (YSEALI) Environ Tech Regional Workshop which is fully funded by the United States Government and Kenan Foundation Asia. Osmaleli and a team from the Philippines, Timor Leste, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia received a grant to implement the project on Pari Island, Indonesia.
“The problem behind this project is the increasing impact of global warming which has caused damage to ecosystems and brought various disasters such as floods, droughts, fires and sea level rise. The government and the community must take immediate action and prevent the negative impacts from increasing,” said Osmaleli.
Women in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. They often experience higher levels of poverty and limited access to resources. They also have less control over production and income. Therefore, this project aims to uncover Pari Island’s untapped potential and empower women through a sustainable mangrove conservation program.
“By utilizing the multiple ecological and economic functions of mangroves and engaging local communities, we can promote resilience, protect coastal areas and provide economic opportunities, ultimately mitigating the impacts of climate change on Pari Island,” she said.
For this reason, she said, the project will explore Pari Island’s potential and empower women so that they can live prosperously and love the environment.
Osmaleli, who is also the Co-Founder of Kamar Ijo, said that the grant competition went through several long processes, starting from submitting proposals, project presentations and defenses in front of judges from the US Embassy, Kenan Foundation Asia and Mae Fah Luang Foundation. The project will work with the Kamar Ijo Community team in Indonesia.
“The goal of this project is first, to instill knowledge to women in Pari Island about climate change and find ways to mitigate the impacts that will be caused. Activities will be carried out through workshops/training on mangrove conservation,” she said.
Second, initiate the commercialization of mangrove products such as syrup, coffee and batik by women to improve their economy. Finally, pioneering a mangrove ecotourism program and investing in technology to monitor mangrove growth and rehabilitation.
“I hope that this project can be duplicated in coastal areas in Indonesia and can even be implemented in ASEAN coastal areas,” she said. (Osmaleli/Rz) (IAAS/Hap)
