14.3 Supporting aquatic ecosystems through action
Hasanuddin University’s Commitment to Marine Conservation and Sustainable Development
Hasanuddin University supports conservation and the sustainable use of oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers through events that move ideas into practice. The focus is simple. Convene partners, share science, and co-design solutions that communities can apply. A key platform is the joint effort between FIKP Unhas, Asia Livelihood Network, and Nishinippon Nichimo Co. The partnership promotes better seaweed farming and plastic waste reduction in coastal villages. It launched with an international symposium that aligned technology, livelihoods, and environmental care for the Sembilan Islands in Sinjai.
The collaboration did not stop at the signing table. A field team stayed a week in island communities to map problems and test options for cleaner seaweed practices and better waste handling. The plan is supported by a one year program to produce workable methods for replication in other coastal communities.
Event-based action also supports species protection. Unhas and the Provincial Government of West Sulawesi marked the hand-over of a multi year marine habitat project to rehabilitate nesting and feeding grounds for turtles in the Balabalakang Islands. The event confirmed continued local engagement and government support after the research phase ended in February 2024.
Sharing knowledge scales the impact. The International Conference on Administrative Science 2024 featured sessions on maritime governance and sustainable development, connecting public policy, community practice, and blue economy goals. The agenda highlighted integrated rules, institutions, and partnerships for long term ocean stewardship.
Unhas also hosted a national and international symposium that placed SDG 14 at the center of the discourse. Speakers examined core challenges in marine and fisheries management and presented practical pathways for solutions that communities can adopt.
These events connect research to policy. Seaweed cultivation is paired with waste reduction so farms remain productive and coasts stay clean. Governance work links marine planning with community monitoring so rules are understood and trusted. Species protection involves local actors who maintain nesting beaches and nearshore habitats after the project banners come down.
The formats used are accessible. Open plenaries, panel forums, field demonstrations, and village dialogues make it easy for students, local leaders, and officers to join. Organisers provide materials and follow-up notes so learning can be repeated in classrooms, village halls, and coastal groups.
Partnerships are the engine. Universities, nongovernment groups, industry, and provincial agencies commit expertise and resources for shared outcomes. This mix supports better fishing gear and aquaculture practices, cleaner harbors and beaches, and stronger local rules for marine protected areas.
By organising and supporting these events, Unhas helps communities and decision makers act for the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. The pathway is clear. Share knowledge, align policy, involve local actors, and measure outcomes. This is how SDG 14 is translated into daily practice across the archipelago.
UNHAS Strengthens Commitment to Sustainable and Healthy Food from Aquatic Ecosystems
Hasanuddin University has set a clear campus policy to ensure that any food served or sold on campus from aquatic ecosystems is responsibly sourced and legally compliant. The guidance comes through an official circular addressed to canteen managers in the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, requiring that fish and other aquatic ingredients come from environmentally friendly practices and follow national fisheries laws. This policy aligns everyday food choices with wider stewardship of seas, lakes, and rivers and establishes a standard that vendors and event organizers must follow on campus. Official circular summary • Faculty announcement
The circular sets out a practical frame for vendors. It reminds food providers that aquatic products must not come from harmful fishing or aquaculture methods, and that supply chains must respect the law. By giving simple instructions to canteen operators, the university connects policy to procurement and makes sustainability visible to students and staff at the point of purchase. This also creates a basis for routine checks and dialogue with vendors so the policy is understood and applied consistently.
This policy is reinforced through learning activities that promote quality, safety, and respect for resources. At the Technology of Fishery Products programme, students run practical sessions on-campus to develop value-added fish products while applying processing standards they learn in class. These sessions improve skills in handling, hygiene, and product evaluation and help future professionals understand how responsible sourcing pairs with responsible processing. THP campus practice.
The approach is straightforward. A written rule sets the expectation, and learning by doing builds the culture around it. When students and staff see that campus food is tied to clean supply chains and good practices, sustainability becomes part of daily life. This consistent message supports healthy diets, fair markets for legal fishers, and a reduction in demand for products linked to destructive fishing.
Partnership with the government strengthens the policy environment. Unhas and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries signed a cooperation agreement aimed at food security, better management, and investment in the marine and fisheries sector. The agenda focuses on sustainability and responsible growth, which complements the campus policy by promoting traceable and lawful supply chains beyond the university. Unhas–KKP cooperation • Related coverage: Antara • FIKP summary in English. (ANTARA News)
This collaboration shows how campus policies connect with national direction. When universities adopt procurement rules that prefer legally caught and responsibly harvested fish, they support the same goals pursued by the ministry: stronger food security, better ecosystem outcomes, and clear incentives for lawful producers. The mutual reinforcement between campus demand and policy signals in the wider market encourages suppliers to improve practices.
Implementation depends on simple routines. Event committees and unit managers can check supplier declarations, request basic proof of legality where relevant, and prefer products from certified or community-verified sources when available. Training modules from study programmes can be used to brief canteen operators on species choice, seasonal considerations, and handling that reduces waste. This way, procurement teams turn a short circular into a living practice across faculties.
Education in processing and product development adds another benefit. Students who learn to create value-added products from responsibly sourced fish help reduce pressure on stocks by improving returns per kilogram and by promoting full-use processing. Campus showcases and tasting sessions make this visible, building pride in products that are both safe and sustainable and giving vendors a model to follow.
The procurement policy also supports communication. Posters at canteens can point to the circular and explain what “responsibly sourced” means in simple terms. Vendors can display supplier names and short notes on origin, while the faculty website keeps the circular available for reference. This transparency invites feedback and strengthens trust in campus food services.
Going forward, Unhas can link vendor orientation with broader outreach on sustainable seafood and nutrition, drawing on resources from the ministry partnership. Short refreshers for canteen staff, student volunteer checks during events, and recognition for vendors that meet the standard will keep the policy active. The result is a campus where food choices support sustainable aquatic ecosystems and signal the same expectations to visitors and partners.
In sum, Unhas pursues conservation and sustainable use of aquatic resources not only in classrooms and research labs but also at the dining table. A clear rule for food on campus, practical learning in fish processing, and cooperation with the national ministry together create a coherent pathway from policy to plate. This is how our university turns SDG 14 into daily practice through the food it serves and the professionals it trains.
ersity turns SDG 14 into daily practice through the food it serves and the professionals it trains.
Hasanuddin University’s Commitment to Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation
Hasanuddin University works directly with communities, government, and industry to maintain and extend ecosystems and their biodiversity. The focus is practical action in places under pressure, guided by research and followed by on site implementation. Mangrove rehabilitation, turtle habitat restoration, seaweed based ecosystem services, and responsible use of artificial reefs are all advanced through workshops, field labs, and multi-party collaboration.
Coastal vegetation is restored by community hands. A workshop on coastal rehabilitation in Makassar moved from class to field in the same programme, ending with hands-on planting of mangroves at Untia. Participants learned site selection, nursery handling, and follow up monitoring so the planting would not stop at a photo session. The message was clear. Mangroves protect shorelines, provide nursery habitat, and store carbon, and communities can maintain them with simple routines.
Species conservation is handed over with a plan for continuity. After a three year project in the Balabalakang Islands, Unhas formally transferred a turtle habitat programme to the Provincial Government of West Sulawesi. The program combined coral and seagrass rehabilitation to support nesting and feeding, community engagement for protection, and a roadmap so local agencies can continue patrol, monitoring, and education after the research phase.
Seaweed development strengthens both livelihoods and ecosystem function. Unhas, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government, and the Australia–Indonesia PAIR initiative are advancing seaweed as a tool for clean growth. The approach treats seaweed as both an economic engine and a natural biofilter that supports healthy coastal ecosystems. The collaboration links farmer training, low waste technology, and reduced plastic use in cultivation so farms filter water and avoid adding new pollutants.
Capacity to restore underwater habitats is built through shared learning. Unhas hosted a workshop on marine ecosystem recovery that brought together lecturers, students, practitioners, and officials. Sessions covered assessment of degraded sites, options for restoration, and simple monitoring that communities can maintain. By pairing presentations with open discussion, the event helped translate science into methods people can apply in their own waters.
Artificial reefs are introduced with education on their responsible use. In collaboration with partner universities from China, Unhas delivered training on when and how to use artificial structures to support fisheries without harming natural reefs. The curriculum stressed site suitability, no-take zones around new modules to allow colonisation, and data recording so communities can see what works and adapt placement rules over time.
What ties these initiatives together is the mix of research and field practice. Mangrove plots come with follow up checks, turtle beaches with community protocols, seaweed training with cleaner cultivation guides, and reef modules with monitoring forms. This combination reduces the risk that projects fade after launch and builds local ownership for long term care.
Partnerships make the work durable. Provincial agencies take the lead after handover, village groups handle routine tasks, and universities provide methods and mentoring. Industry and donor partners add resources and technology where appropriate. This arrangement spreads responsibilities in a way that fits daily rhythms of fishing, farming, school schedules, and local governance.
The immediate benefits are visible. Eroded shorelines gain a living buffer, nesting sites are protected and watched, nearshore waters receive the filtration benefit of seaweed lines set up with less plastic, and fish communities begin to return where artificial modules are placed with care. Each site becomes a demonstration of what steady, shared work can deliver for biodiversity.
Unhas will continue to align research with engagement so threatened ecosystems receive the attention and care they need. With practical training, clear handovers, and open reporting, communities can maintain restored areas and extend them over time. This is how direct work on the coast and small islands becomes lasting protection for plants, animals, and the people who depend on them.
Hasanuddin University’s Technological Innovations and Partnerships to Safeguard Aquatic Ecosystems
Hasanuddin University works directly with communities, government, and industry to advance technologies and daily practices that prevent damage to rivers, coasts, and reefs. The priority is to stop pollutants at their source, guide smart infrastructure in sensitive waters, and equip local teams with tools they can operate and maintain. This approach turns research into simple interventions that fit real conditions and protect habitats before harm occurs.
In Pinrang, the Marine Plastic Research Group led field sessions on household waste handling, river interception, and mangrove care along the Kariango River. Residents from three hamlets learned how to sort waste, keep organic and plastic streams separate, and install low cost river trash traps at flow pinch points. Local government acknowledged that sustained mentoring since 2021 has begun to show results, with residents selling sorted plastics and operating a small processing point supported by university teams. The activity closed with the handover of a thousand seedlings to a youth group engaged in mangrove rehabilitation, linking prevention on land with restoration on the shore.
The same outreach connects communities to small industry solutions that keep plastics out of waterways. A local start up demonstrated how to convert plastic bags into usable pouches and trained residents on sorting standards and the operation of simple equipment. This pairing of river-borne waste interception and micro-recycling closes loops at neighborhood scale, reduces leakage to the sea, and creates household income that encourages steady collection rather than dumping or open burning.
To scale prevention beyond single sites, Unhas documents methods and builds a network of partners. A campus feature traces the group’s work from early microplastic findings to a portfolio of river trash traps, student placements, and community waste systems in several districts. By combining equipment with routines for collection and reporting, the programme helps villages track what is captured, who maintains the trap, and where recovered plastics go for reuse, which keeps the technology active rather than abandoned after a pilot project.
Prevention also applies underwater through responsible reef infrastructure. In partnership with Shanghai Ocean University and Guangdong Ocean University, Unhas deployed one hundred and ninety large and fifty small artificial reef modules around Bonetambung Island. The operation followed guidance on site suitability, spacing, and post deployment monitoring so the structures enhance habitat without stressing natural reefs, and so communities can manage closures around new modules to allow colonisation.
International partners reinforce this work by sharing survey and evaluation methods that keep projects accountable. A Shanghai Ocean University brief highlights expert support for Indonesian artificial reef efforts and encourages practical evaluation so local rules on gear, effort, and no take periods can be adjusted based on observed recovery, not on assumptions. This keeps infrastructure aligned with prevention goals rather than becoming a one time installation.
The design philosophy across these technologies is to keep tools simple and serviceable. Trash traps are built from available materials and placed where currents concentrate debris. Recycling tools match local feedstock and skills. Reef modules are deployed with clear boundaries and basic monitoring sheets that community teams can complete after fishing trips or patrols. The result is a set of interventions that communities can operate without waiting for outside technicians, which improves durability and trust. Reef deployment note.
Communication is treated as part of the technology package, not a separate activity. Public briefings, riverbank meetings, and campus media keep attention on prevention and show how small steps add up when many households repeat them. University features invite new collaborators and document what worked and what did not, which lets other districts adopt traps, sorting routines, and product making with less trial and error.
These efforts link land and sea in a single prevention chain. Rivers lose less plastic because traps and sorting divert waste into reuse and sale. Mangroves gain space to grow because litter smothering is reduced and communities revisit sites after planting. Nearshore waters receive a lift from reef structures placed with care and managed with fair, locally accepted rules. Each element fits the daily rhythms of fishing, schooling, market days, and village meetings, which keeps prevention active rather than episodic.
Going forward, Unhas will continue to align industry engagement, student fieldwork, and partner support so prevention becomes routine across South Sulawesi. The path is clear. Stop waste before it reaches the sea, restore natural buffers that filter and anchor sediments, and place infrastructure that improves habitat while respecting natural reefs. With open reporting and shared learning, the model is ready to expand to other districts and islands.