Strengthening Community Engagement in Mangrove Rehabilitation: Best Practice from IMPACT Program in East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Kurnia Perdana *
Perkumpulan Telapak, Indonesia.
Astan Jaya Tamburaka
Perkumpulan Telapak, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This study examines how progressive community engagement was implemented and how it contributed to observed rehabilitation outcomes.
Study Design: This research employed a qualitative case study design.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in nine coastal villages in Paser Regency, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, within the implementation period of the IMPACT mangrove rehabilitation program up to the end of 2025.
Novelty: This study addresses a gap in the literature concerning the operationalization of progressive community engagement frameworks in mangrove rehabilitation, particularly in translating participatory principles into structured implementation stages.
Methodology: The study employed a qualitative case study design based on longitudinal field observation (2023–2025), program documentation analysis, and stakeholder engagement processes.
Results: The results showed that the program successfully engaged nine village-based mangrove care groups. More than 191,000 mangrove seedlings were produced, and approximately 186,000 seedlings were planted, with a monitored survival rate exceeding 86% by the end of 2025, alongside strengthened community participation and institutional capacity. In addition, the progressive community engagement approach contributed to strengthened community ownership and institutional sustainability, which supported rehabilitation performance alongside ecological factors. The progressive engagement framework developed in this study may serve as a structured implementation model, consisting of three sequential stages—social investigation, social mapping, and common dream building—that can inform community-based ecological restoration policies in similar socio-ecological contexts.
Conclusion: This study concludes that a structured and collaborative community-based approach is a key factor in the success of coastal ecosystem rehabilitation. The findings provide important implications for the development of more inclusive, participatory, and sustainable natural resource management programs.
Keywords: Mangrove rehabilitation, progressive community engagement, social investigation, social mapping, common dream