Assessing environmental impact through DPSIR framework and environmental justice lenses:a case study of inland capture fisheries in Mahakam river
Authors:   , Ningsih Etik 
Published: April 2023

Inland capture fisheries significantly contribute to the achievement of SDG, but most inland capture fisheries are poorly managed or not managed at all. Inland fishery is often facing against the big-scale industrial project. In the Middle Mahakam Area, two dominant natural resources exploited for the industrial project are palm oil and coal mining. Palm oil production, coal mining production, the human population was increasing in the last ten years, and on the opposite, the water quality index is decreasing. However, although many previous studies suggested that fish catches are declining, fisheries statistics show the opposite data. Government statistics show that fish catches are increasing. However, this increasing trend is in line with fishing gear, fishing trips, and fishing boats. It means that fish catches increasing does not reflect fish productivity or fish stock. Consider the complex interaction between external anthropogenic factors and different government and fishing community interests in natural resources management. So, it is crucial to identify the number of issues and the most driving and pressuring factor that puts inland fisheries at risk, leading to environmental inequality and injustice.

Based on this rational background, the research objectives are 1) To know the driver, pressure, state, impact, and responses in fish catch declining in the Middle Mahakam River. 2) To know to what extent is environmental justice considered in the decision-making process along the step of DPSIR of decline in fish catches. 3) To know to what extent the fisherfolk perception of environmental injustice affects justice claims or protest. The study was conducted in Middle Mahakam Area in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Kutai Kartanegara regency was the selected study area. Village sampling determined using purposive technique sampling represent villages inside and near palm oil companies, adjacent to coal mining and aquaculture. The research method is a mixed-method between Delphi method, content analysis, and descriptive statistics.

The result is that each respondent group has different concerns about each theme of DPSIR. However, all respondents moderately agree with the themes. We found that government, academia, and NGO are very much concerned about the driver themes but mentioned only a little bit about PSIR themes. In the driver chain, fish catch decreasing associate with the lack of environmental consideration and the lack of affected communities’ participation in the decision making of land concession, EIA, land use, and spatial planning and development planning, in which all those decision makings is related to economic development strategy through palm oil expansion and coal mining extraction. In the pressure chain, fish catch declining associate with anthropogenic factor, in which palm oil contribute the most, followed by fishing, coal mining, and natural aspect. All the pressuring factors change the state of fish catches decreasing, water quality decreasing, mass fish mortality, water level changing, and fishing ground reduction. Fisheries resources changing and changing environmental effect on human security, especially economic security. Based on response themes mentioned by the respondent, some of the responses are only responses expected by the fisher, while the government and company have implemented others. The implemented response is government enforces fishing laws, government assistance, fish restocking, and pollution control. At the same time, companies conducted plasma partnerships, compensation, and CSR. At the same time, NGOs do social forestry advocacy. Plasma partnership is a collaboration between farmer and company to manage palm oil plantation plot belong to farmer.

Environmental justice issues are 1) there is the lack of procedural justice in the decision-making process. 2) the unequal distribution of response to environmental changing and environmental impact between different villages. 3) there is an association between the lack of procedural justice in the decision-making process and fish catch declining and unequal response to fish catch declining. Regarding all fisheries losses and environmental, fisher convey their complaint or protest to the company or government. However, it tends to be fruitless. So, it affects the perception of environmental injustice.

In sum, in the Middle Mahakam Area, fish catches decreasing is mainly driven by land concession for palm oil expansion, leading to economic insecurity. The primary expected response to it is compensation for mass fish mortality and water quality decreasing. That phenomenon occurs due to environmental justice is less considered in the decision-making process of land concession, EIA, land use, and spatial planning and development planning along the chain of DPSIR in the MMA. If fishing communities’ protests get a positive response from the company or government to reduce the impact of fish catches decreasing, fishing communities had a positive perception of environmental justice.