Depok, June 25, 2025. Indonesia’s fishery resources play an important role in food security, income, and livelihoods, as well as being an affordable source of animal protein for the rural poor. This was stated by Prof. Dr. Dewi Susiloningtyas, S.Si., M.Si. during her inauguration as a Permanent Professor in the Field of Human Geography, Environment, and Coastal and Marine Natural Resource Management at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Indonesia (UI), led by UI Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, on Wednesday (June 25), at the UI Conference Hall.
In general, Prof. Tyas reviews the potential of Indonesia’s marine wealth along a coastline of approximately 99,093 km. If marine wealth is exploited excessively, it will negatively impact food security and the livelihoods of millions of people in related sectors. Therefore, the concept of human geography is important to organize space and society, as well as to study the interactions between places and space.
The role of humans as actors in environmental change can explain the impact of human activities on the Earth’s surface, including the impact of coastal and marine areas on human activities. He believes that intervention in the form of regulations governing social and ecological systems is necessary.social ecology system) so that there is no excessive use or over fishing which damages the environment.
“Spatial connectivity in social ecology system “A social system consists of physical, biological, and geographic units associated with social actors and institutions. The structure or attributes of a social system include values, behavior, level of knowledge, technology, and the number of individuals or communities. Meanwhile, an ecological system is all the natural resources and ecosystem services utilized by humans. The interaction between these two systems requires regulation to prevent overexploitation,” said Prof. Tyas.
To strengthen the social ecological system, the concept of Agent Based Modeling or ABM is needed.Agent Base Model) developed within the framework of coastal and marine resource management. ABM is a computational model for simulating the interaction between autonomous agents used for modeling complex communities, such as coastal communities whose livelihoods are influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors.
Prof. Tyas applies the concept of social ecology within the Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi (Three Pillars of Higher Education) activities to research related to nature and the lives of coastal communities. These include the development of sustainable coastal and marine tourism and seaweed cultivation on Tarakan Island, North Kalimantan. This research, using a spatial connectivity approach, allows for direct mapping and prediction of the dynamics and changes in resource access and environmental pressures.
“The implications of socio-ecological connectivity in shaping sustainability can be guided by policy priorities and by determining the forms of responsibility of the actors involved. The study results can be used as a basis for data-based regional management decisions that adapt to the dynamics that occur. The utilization of coastal and marine resources will impact the sustainability of these resources. This is due to the vulnerability to ecological damage. critical area which is the habitat of most of the resources, on which the lives of coastal communities depend,” said Prof. Tyas.
Prof. Tyas’ research on spatial connectivity as a strategy for the sustainability of coastal communities’ livelihoods in Indonesia has made her the 32nd professor inaugurated this year out of a total of 473 professors at UI. Prior to her inauguration as a professor, Prof. Tyas completed her undergraduate studies in Regional Development Planning, Faculty of Geography (1994) and Masters in Environmental Science (1998), and completed her doctoral studies in Coastal and Marine Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, IPB University in 2014.
In 2024, he conducted several other studies, including The Influence of Traditional Bottom Set Gill Net Dimension with The Daily Catches of Rastrelliger Faughni at The Karangantu Archipelago Fisheries Port, Banten Province, Indonesia; Spatial Dynamics Model of Built-up Area Growth and Mean Sea Level Ris Projection. Casee Study: Bandar Lampung City, Indonesia; dan Spatial Analysis of Landuse and Land Utilization Based on Suitability Spatial Planning on Food Estate Planning Site in Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan. The inauguration ceremony of Professor Tyas was also attended by invited guests, including the Deputy for Systems and Strategy of the National Disaster Management Agency, Dr. Raditya Jati, S.Si., M.Si.; EVP of Information Systems of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero), Albertus Indarko Wiyogo, MT, CISA, CISSP; Director of Institutions and Geospatial Information Networks, Geospatial Information Agency, Rachman Rifai, S.Si, M.Si, M.Sc.; Expert Staff of the Minister of ATR/BPN, Aishah Gray; and Director of Korean Bank, Mr. Dodi Widjayanto, S.E., M.M.
