Effects Of Climate Change On Coastal Aquaculture In South Sulawesi,Indonesia:Constraints And Opportunities For Adaptations

Climate change is one of factors that pose new challenges to the sustainability of capture fishery and aquaculture sector around the world.As concerns over the impacts of climate change on people and ecosystems have been increasing over the last few decades,this study investigated how anticipated changes in climatic condition would affect coastal aquaculture in South Sulawesi Province,Indonesia.This study also assessed the extent to which the environmental databases have been assembled by various agencies and institutions in Indonesia could support this type of analysis.This study examined the patterns of current climatic variables such as:Sea Surface Salinity(SSS),Sea Surface Temperature(SST)and extreme events on commonly farmed seaweeds species namely Kappaphycus alvarezii(commonly known as“cottonii”)and Eucheuma denticulatum(“spinosum”)in South Sulawesi,Indonesia.Moreover,this study identified areas along the strait of Makassar that have capability for Kappaphycus alvarez and Eucheuma denticulatum cultures and defined capability indices for possible marine species based on physical conditions that characterize existing commercial aquaculture operations.Finally,this study assessed how culture sites?capability will be affected by changes in extreme events occur along in the areas.Results of this study indicates that annual average projections of SST of open ocean adjacent waters of Sulawesi?s coast will increase approximately 1~oC between 2012 and 2050at a rate of 0.23~oC/year,and between 2051 and 2100 the SST will increase approximately 2~oC at a rate of 0.53~oC/year.The annual average projections of SSS of open ocean adjacent waters of South Sulawesi?s coast will decrease approximately 0.21 ppt between 2012 and 2050 at a rate of 0.0055 ppt/year.Furthermore,projections from 2051 to 2100 indicate SSS will decreases approximately 0.43 ppt at a rate of 0.008 ppt/year.This study concluded that current datasets provided by various agencies and institutions are available and accessible,and could be used to investigate impacts of climate change on coastal aquaculture in Indonesia,although there is lack of some datasets as well as there is a need to improve some available datasets.This study also concluded that sites?capability to support seaweed culture will not be affected by the expected changes of SST,SSS.Changes in SST and SSS will not adversely affect seaweed culture.In contrary,SLR will have negative impact on seaweed culture.A participatory research approach was also used in exploring adaptation patterns perceived by seaweed farmers in face of variable climatic condition.The esults suggested critical impact asymmetries due to climatic and socio-economic factors affected subsistence crops in the South Sulawesi Province.