Abstract
Natural resource management is a cross-sectoral topic, as reflected by its inclusion in several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., SDGs 2, 6, 12, 15). In the study area on Bangka Island, Indonesia, agriculture is a pillar of local food security and livelihoods, making restoration of degraded lands also a local issue. The present study aims at restoring degraded land after tin mining and at restoring the natural soil base rendering it more suitable for agriculture. We use co-experimentation with citizens as a tool to develop options for re-habilitation at a pilot scale. The recruitment process in this study was reversed insofar as local citizens were at the origin of the project idea. Consequently, buy-in was high among local stakeholders. This set to increase the probability of successfully scaling up effective and actionable practices that were developed during co-experimentation at both local and regional levels. Co-experimentation provided a platform for exchange between local citizens and scientists. Citizens did not need to learn new skills to be able to participate in the scientific process and could autonomously evaluate results. We see involvement of citizens in this type of scientific projects not only as feasible, but as rewarding for all involved partners and as beneficial for the project outcomes. In light of the call for partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we can only recommend investing in communication and relationship building to work together on better solutions to the challenges we face.
Highlights
Bangka Island lies in the South East Asian tin belt
The co-experimentation approach we describe here is designed at a pilot scale and is best implemented in a small-to-medium group that allows for regular personal interaction among core partners
This study organically developed from a challenge that local farmers and extension are facing and that they felt warranted pulling in additional expertise to complement their own efforts and activities
Summary
Bangka Island lies in the South East Asian tin belt. The Indonesian island is famous for two export goods: high-quality pepper that is valued by gourmet restaurants around the world and tin that is used in the electronics industry. Several challenges lie ahead: tin reserves are declining, and mining has dire consequences for the island’s ecosystem and agricultural production [3,4]. Illegal mining is common on the island: since tin can be gained from near-surface deposits and without chemicals, the only infrastructure needed are pumps to mix the soil with water; subsequent density fractionation separates cassiterite (a fine-sand fraction) from the quartz sand and kaolinite. The main by-products, kaolinite and quartz sand, are deposited indiscriminately in the surrounding areas of the mining sites. The quartz sand deposits exhibit extremely high infiltration rates and lack water retention capacity and nutrients. These phenomena severely hamper plant growth and render agriculture challenging, especially achieving acceptable crop yields
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