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| Onolimbu - SE Nias. This entire village has subsided 2 meters or more.
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 | Location of settlements:
The tsunami disaster has prompted government agencies and NGOs to argue for the relocation of entire communities to safer locations, to reduce vulnerability to future natural disasters. The project team will make every effort to ensure that such relocation, where it takes place, should be identified in a consultation with affected communities, and should be near enough to the sea to enable communities to continue fishing and related activities.
At the same time priority use rights of coastal spaces/ beaches should remain vested with fishing communities - it should be ensured that these spaces are not taken over by tourism and other commercial interests.
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| Evaluation of Methods
The post-tsunami phase provides an opportunity to review fishing methods and gear that were economically/ ecologically problematic in the first place, for example, trawling and pushnetting. Trawlers are illegal in Indonesia and every effort should be made to ensure that they are not allowed to fill the vacuum that the loss of boats has created post pre-tsunami.
An important segment of the fisheries population are those with no assets, who, therefore, may not figure in rehabilitation plans - the crew on mechanized and non-mechanized vessels, etc. Every effort will be made to provide various livelihood options that could benefit them.
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 | Assistance for Women
Attention should be given to the post-harvest sector, typically the sector in which women are more active. Here again the focus should be on traditional, low-cost processing techniques and on providing appropriate infrastructure for the same - particularly facilities such as water, sanitation and drying/ curing areas at landing centres/ harbours. Similar attention to developing marketing infrastructure, particularly for domestic markets, should be paid. There is a need to ensure that aid money does not go towards developing expensive cold chain infrastructure, which will benefit only a minority.
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| Coastal Aquaculture:
Where, even in the pre-tsunami phase there were concerns about the ecological, social and economic impact of intensive forms of coastal aquaculture, the post-tsunami phase should offer the opportunity to review aspects such as location of aquaculture farms away from the coastal zone, prioritizing instead the need for coastal/ mangrove shelterbelts that enhance the ecological security of the region and reduce its vulnerability to natural disasters.
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| Inappropriate Donated Vessels
Offers of aid from outside, in the form of fishing vessels, gears and motors, should be carefully and critically evaluated. It is highly unlikely that fishing vessels transferred from other countries will be suited to local conditions, and such transfers should be considered only as the very last option. In general, local capacity should be tapped for replacement/ repair of craft damaged during the tsunami - this will also help provide employment at a time when it is sorely needed while ensuring that the craft are suited to local conditions.
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| Fishing Gear
Aid in the form of fishing gear can be very useful, if technical specifications of the gear used in tsunami hit areas are well understood, but only if locally available materials are used.
Many motors have been damaged/ destroyed during the tsunami. Support in the form of spare parts may be appropriate when the boat and powerplant are considered as viable at current fuel costs.
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| Social infrastructure:
The project will also focus on developing social infrastructure: appropriate housing, sanitation, education, health etc. through participatory and consultative processes. The emphasis on social infrastructure, apart from improving quality of life in a historically marginalized community, will also help in providing alternative livelihood skills and options for those who prefer to leave the fisheries and seek other forms of employment.
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| Pulau Raya fish ponds have been destroyed and are now only useful as a shallow harbor.
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| Disaster Mitigation Education
The biggest single lesson to be learned from the Indian Ocean Tsunami is that better planning and preparedness for disaster is critical in vulnerable areas. This must include measures to ensure greater safety at sea. Local land use planning, with participation of local communities is a critical first step. Developing land use plans for coastal areas will be encouraged and implementation monitored.
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| Children back at school for the first time since the tsunami in Lho Kruet.
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| Security Implications
The success of the introduction of modern plywood-epoxy stitch and tape boats to South India is of great significance to the situation that Indonesia fishermen now face. Until last year, illegal logging and subsidized fuel have combined to create an unsustainable fish boat infrastructure. Recent changes will force fishermen to adopt new solutions or to find other work. Isolation combined with rising transport costs and a 5 year foreign investment drought have combined to make alternative labor opportunities almost non-existent for most of these island communities.
To reverse the declining standard of living in the fisheries sector is of great importance given the large number of people impacted in Indonesia. Many already live in extreme poverty, and it is critical that new technical solutions are developed and tested quickly. It is widely understood that extreme poverty combined with near zero opportunities is a sure recipe for environmental vandalism and other illegal activities. The geophysical nature of Indonesia with over 13,000 islands makes this issue one of great importance for the future stability of the region.
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