Breaking Climate Literacy for Fishermen: Best Practise from Indonesia

As an archipelagic country, with the surrounding waters of approximately 70 percent of its total area and the longest coastline in the world of nearly 100,000 km over 17,000 islands, Indonesia is one of the countries that has a critical role in the sustainability of the world's oceans. Since weather and climate information is vital to the fishing activities, fishermen need guidance-related adaptation on weather and climate, sea state, and fishing ground information to support their fishing activities. However, the provision of weather and climate forecasts as an adaptation practice cannot be effectively conducted if the users are not aware of climate change and its related risks. The weather forecast as an adaptation strategy integrates at least the following issues: the availability of accurate and reliable weather and climate forecast information and the user's understanding of the information themselves. Good knowledge of the weather and climate events can reduce fatalities and lost equipment during extreme weather.

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has authorized the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) to provide maritime weather and ocean climate services in Indonesia established the Fisherman Weather Field School (FWFS) to work closely with the traditional fishery and aquaculture sectors. FWFS is an ocean literacy program that emphasizes educating a targeted user (e.g., traditional fishermen, aquaculture fishermen, salt pond farmers, and related stakeholders in fisheries and community sectors) about maritime weather and climate information to support safety sea improve welfare. The implementation of SLCN, which has been carried out since 2016 in various locations in Indonesia, plays a vital role in increasing public and community awareness and understanding of maritime weather and climate information and observation.

The weather forecasts are vital for ffishermen. However, the use of weather forecast as an adaptation practice cannot be effective if the users are not aware of the existence of climate change and its related risks. In fact, the use of weather forecast as an adaptation strategy integrates at least the following issues. A good understanding of the weather and climate events can reduce the level of risk fatalities and lost equipment during extreme weather. One of the success story from alumni of FWFS saved the village in Oesapa, East Nusa Tenggara from Seroja Tropical Cyclone (TC) that occurred in April 2021.