Ecosystem of Communication for Coastal Community Sustainability: A Story from North Lombok Coastal Villages

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems are ecologically interconnected, including terrestrial ecosystems and various natural resources and environmental services with development potential, which are generally found along coastal stretches. Therefore, optimal and sustainable management of coastal area resources can only be realized through an integrated and holistic approach. This research aims, firstly, to explore and map the profile and capacity of communication actors to sustain coastal areas in the North Lombok district. Second, it describes and analyzes the status, capacity, and communication networks among actors to create and maintain a communication ecosystem for the sustainability of coastal areas in the North Lombok district. Thirdly, to design and offer a communication ecosystem development model for the sustainability of coastal areas in the North Lombok district. The findings demonstrate that the public communication ecosystem for disaster preparedness in North Lombok Regency operates within an interdependent, multinodal, and highly inclusive socio-technical network. This structural configuration does not function as a singular hierarchical entity; rather, it integrates the managerial capacities and authoritative resources of state institutions (the Regional Secretary, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, and sectoral government agencies) with agency deeply embedded within civil society actors (Village Governments, Community-Based Disaster Response Teams (TSBD), non-governmental organisations, and the wider community). This reciprocal integration among actors signifies a transformation in crisis management practices in North Lombok towards a hybrid-preventive approach, wherein collaborative leadership plays a central role in the distribution and mobilisation of social capital. Through this mechanism, scientific risk data, Build Back Better regulatory frameworks, and climate mitigation strategies are translated into culturally embedded sociological narratives that are more accessible and readily accepted by local communities