The 91st RIHN seminar

Date: 27 August 2013 (Tue.)
Time: 12:15 –13:15
Place: Seminar room 3 & 4, RIHN ( → Access)
Title: Urban Lakes in Megacity Jakarta: Threats and Management Strategy for Future Sustainability
Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Henny
(Visiting Research Fellows, RIHN project "Megacities and the Global Environment", Senior Researcher, Research Center for Limnology Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI))

Abstract:

Maintaining the stability of the urban lakes has been one of the key points to minimize the impact of flash flooding coming from the upstream region and overcome the water crisis in downstream megacity Jakarta. Despite this pivotal role and high level public interface, very little attention has been paid to urban lakes. Less study has been done on the urban lakes compare to natural or semi natural lakes. The impact of urban development in the distinct surrounding inhabited areas on urban lakes in megacity Jakarta have been so pervasive that make the lakes are very vulnerable to environmental disturbances. Around 25% of existing lakes have shrunk and based on the lake morphology assessment nearly 50% of lakes have been damaged. The lakes in the urban village, rural village agricultural and urban village–industrial areas have been degraded physically and ecologically. Lake shrinkage, eutrophication and water pollution problems are common urban lakes problems found in other countries as well, however no extensive lakes loss case reported happened like in megacity Jakarta. High levels of disturbances to the urban lakes from urban development in the past and recent years around the lakes such as lake filling, land use change, shoreline encroachment, excessive macrophyte coverage and garbage dump, have caused nearly 10 – 20% of urban lake loss and in megacity Jakarta. By all means the main threats affecting urban lakes in megacity Jakarta actually could be lack of good governance and the lost of social value on the nature. The consistency of lakes loss estimated from the old–Dutch map and other maps to the recent year maps indicates that the lakes continuously have been sacrificed for urban area development. The complexity of the problems faced by urban lakes in Jakarta requires a comprehensive management strategy that is not only effective in maintaining the stability of the ecosystem of the lake that can increase the lake potential in each type of urban ecosystem, but also effective in improving socio–culture–economic conditions of people around the lakes. Fundamental requirement is that the urban lake should be managed according to its surroundings characteristic and conditions, and functional context.

Curriculum Vitae:

Dr. Cynthia Henny is an Associate Researcher at the Research Center for Limnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). Her current position is the Indonesian research team leader of collaborated research with Canadian Research team on Geochemistry of Lake Matano, Sulawesi, Research leader in application of management model for restoration of Lake Maninjau, West Sumatera, and the member of Center’ program monitoring and evaluation. Currently, she is a visiting research fellow in the megacity project at RIHN, Kyoto from April to August 2013.
Her research interests include lake water quality focusing on dynamics of pollutants and lake’s biogeochemistry; process and mechanisms of fate and transport of pollutant in aquatic environment especially on the heavy metals; developing remediation technology (combined biotic and abiotic process). Current research focuses more on wetland treatment technology and develops management concept for lake restoration and conservation. She received her professional degree in microbiology from Andalas University at Padang, Indonesia (1986), Master of Environmental Science and Engineering degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA (1993) and PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, USA (2001).

Contact:
KURATA Takashi (Associate Professor, RIHN)
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan
Phone : +81-75-707-2382 Fax : +81-75-707-2513
E-mail:

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