CLIMATE RESILIENCE, ADAPTIVE CAPACITY, AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA'S ARCHIPELAGIC REGIONS
Abstract
Climate change poses unprecedented threats to Indonesia's archipelagic regions, where over 130 million people depend on marine and terrestrial livelihoods in geographically fragmented, resource-constrained island environments. This study examined the relationships between dimensions of climate resilience and sustainable community development across ten Indonesian archipelagic provinces. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, we surveyed 648 respondents comprising coastal community leaders, local government representatives, environmental planners, and development organization staff. Eight climate resilience dimensions (adaptive capacity, disaster preparedness, climate risk awareness, resource management practices, community participation, institutional support, access to climate information, and infrastructure resilience) and eight sustainable development dimensions (economic sustainability, livelihood diversification, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, governance effectiveness, sustainable resource utilization, community well-being, and long-term development capacity) were measured using 5-point Likert scales. Multiple regression analysis revealed that climate resilience dimensions explained 64% of variance in sustainable community development (R² = .64, F(8, 639) = 142.3, p < .001). Adaptive capacity (β = .34), disaster preparedness (β = .29), and resource management practices (β = .27) emerged as the strongest predictors, while infrastructure resilience showed minimal predictive power (β = .07). Significant regional variation in resilience and development indices (η² = .11 and .09, respectively) reflected underlying disparities in institutional capacity and governance quality. The findings demonstrate that sustainable community development in vulnerable archipelagic regions emerges primarily from social, institutional, and behavioral dimensions of resilience—particularly adaptive capacity, disaster preparedness, and community participation—rather than from infrastructure investments alone. The study provides empirical support for community-based, institutionally-embedded adaptation approaches and identifies priorities for national and local adaptation policies, development programs, and research in island contexts facing escalating climate impacts.
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