By Lachlan Haycock
Relating directly to this year’s theme of Connected by Sea, the Coastal and Environmental Panel at CAUSINDY 2018 featured three experts in the field, namely Jamaluddin Jompa (Professor of Marine Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin), Rili Djohani (Executive Director, Coral Triangle Centre) and Simon Baldwin (Indonesia Director, SecondMuse). The panel was moderated by Lia Zakkiyah, who currently serves as the Deputy to the Assistant to the President’s Special Envoy on Climate Change.
Speakers delved into issues such as the historical trading relationship between the Bugis people of Makassar and Indigenous Australians of Northern Australia, sustainable resource use in both countries, and the role of China in discussions around maritime interplay in the global community.
A question about the interplay between environmental concerns and values with the customs and traditions of Indigenous peoples – specifically the latter’s relationship with and use of aspects of the environment – meant for an astute exploration of the necessary balancing act between environmental conservation and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
A significant take-away from the panel was Simon Baldwin’s description of organisations and hotels involved in local waste management, whereby they work to ‘close the loop’ of plastic production and waste by giving value to plastics normally considered waste and discarded. Instead, there are innovations to ensure the plastic is repurposed and re-enters the supply chain.
Our speakers had so much to say, and were so enthused about the topics at hand, that the panel ran overtime and everyone rushed off to afternoon tea! This was ahead of the Regional Security Panel afterwards, plus the pinnacle of the conference program, the CAUSINDY Gala Dinner, later that evening. All in all, this made for the biggest day of the entire conference.
View a slideshow of speakers and delegates at the panel below:
