Peer-reviewed article
From shark hunters to sea guardians: Environmental literacy transformation and socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people in Sapeken Islands, East Java-Indonesia
Husamah Husamah, Abdulkadir Rahardjanto, Atok Miftachul Hudha, Tutut Indria Permana ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This qualitative case study looks at how the Bajo community on Sadulang Besar Island in Indonesia moved from shark hunting to marine conservation and seaweed farming. It draws on 24 interviews, observation, a community survey and village records. The authors link the change to environmental literacy, youth leadership, new economic opportunities, outside mentoring and community reflection. They describe the transition as still ongoing and negotiated, not a simple success story. The study is about community and environmental change, not about children's well-being.
Key points
- Households actively engaged in shark hunting fell by 87.2%.
- Participation in conservation activities rose from 22% to 74% over the past decade.
- Environmental literacy was a key factor in changing ecological behaviour, but not the only one; economic opportunities, youth leadership, external mentoring and community reflection also contributed.
- Young people developed conservation activities such as coral transplantation, fish houses and seaweed cultivation mentoring.
- Sapeken District is the largest seaweed producer in Sumenep Regency.
Limitations
The study is a single qualitative case in one community, and the authors acknowledge its contextual limits and the need for comparative studies in other Sama-Bajau/Bajo settings. It does not examine child well-being outcomes directly and does not test an intervention for a defined child-related problem.
Abstract
The Bajo people are known for their closeness to and dependence on the sea. Over the past few decades, the Bajo people have undergone significant changes that are worth examining. This study aims to analyze the socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people who inhabit Sadulang Besar Island, Sapeken Archipelago, East Java, with particular attention to how environmental literacy, intergenerational learning, and shifting livelihood strategies have contributed to changes in marine practices and ecological identity. They have transformed from shark hunters into key actors in environmental literacy-based marine stewardship. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study design. The study involved community leaders—former shark hunters, young environmental activists, seaweed farmers, teachers from educational institutions, and village government officials. A total of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted across these groups, supported by participant observation, documentation of community activities, a community ecological-literacy survey, and village-level secondary records. The collected data were then analyzed using the interactive model of Miles et al. The results show that increasing community-based environmental literacy is a key factor in changing ecological behavior and reconstructing the identity of the Bajo people. At the same time, the findings suggest that this transformation was not driven by literacy alone, but also by changing economic opportunities, youth leadership, external mentoring, and community reflection on the ecological consequences of earlier practices. The process of critical reflection and transformative learning supports the younger generation of the Bajo people in developing conservation movements, including coral transplantation, the construction of fish houses/apartments, and intensive community mentoring in seaweed cultivation. Quantitative data show an 87.2% decrease in households actively engaged in shark hunting and an increase in participation in conservation activities from 22% to 74% over the past decade. Sapeken District is also listed as the largest seaweed producer in Sumenep Regency. These findings demonstrate that environmental literacy, fostered by local awareness, has been shown to drive social and economic change toward sustainability. Rather than presenting the case as a simple success story, this article highlights a negotiated and still ongoing transition in which conservation, livelihood adaptation, and social legitimacy continue to be worked out within the community. This research provides conceptual and practical contributions to the development of a community-based environmental literacy model for coastal stewardship, while acknowledging its contextual limits and the need for comparative studies in other Sama-Bajau/Bajo settings.