Regional spatial planning concepts should be developed with an integrated socio-
economic, cultural, geographical and ecological approach. Sasi, as an adat institution
and component of co-management, already encompasses these factors.
• To develop and promote the concept of co-management, involve communities in
biophysical monitoring, for instance, through recording fish catches, use of other
resources, and sea water quality. The data collected could be used to develop and
modify local fishery regulations which are consistent with the higher regulations at
provincial and national levels.
• Replace the “top-down” approach which has been used by the government in
implementing development projects with a process of dialogue which places the
community at the center of the objectives of the development projects.
• In all planning and management of development, local institutions should be
empowered to collaborate effectively with other institutions through the sharing of
roles and responsibilities.
• Take steps to increase the ability of local institutions to deal with exogenous factors
such as mining on small islands, or the escalation of national large-scale fishing fleets.
This is an important consideration when drafting the legal framework for allocation
of rights and responsibilities to various levels. In the absence of adequate local power,
such exogenous pressures can nullify local management efforts.
18.8 Lessons from Sasi that can be Applied Outside of Maluku
What have we learned from sasi that could help in the design of local management systems
elsewhere in Southeast Asia? Sasi is an institution embedded in local culture and therefore
not transferable as a unit to other cultural contexts. However, it provides a valuable example
for the development of local management systems. Sasi has proven that local rules pertaining
to gear types, access, closed areas, seasons, etc. can be successfully developed and applied at
the local level by villagers who have relatively low levels of formal education. In fact, these
villagers also have only a hazy concept of resource management per se. In the absence of a
science-based rationale for management, there has nevertheless evolved a resilient and, within
its narrow scope of application, a demonstrably effective institution. This has resulted from
an ethic of working together for the benefit of the community, attachment to a cultural tradition,
and the tendency to comply with sanctions based in religious beliefs. New generations of
Mollucans may require more modern and materialistic rationales for participating in the
institution. For this and other reasons, flexibility and the power to tailor operational rules to
local needs and priorities are essential. In developing modern systems, it seems that an optimal
population size for a local management unit could be in the order of 1,000-3,000 people.
Sasi also provides an alternative to the western idea that local management must be highly
democratic and inclusive. In a culture such as Indonesia’s, highly participatory democratic
structures are unknown and untested. Fisheries stakeholders are passive but not uncritical.
They accept a centralized, male-dominated and elitist decision-making body only if it has
credibility and is seen to function for the general good. This paternalistic model is potentially
very efficient and cost-effective, putting little demand on the time of busy fishers, farmers and
women, and is also culturally acceptable. People usually resist change and are more likely to
cooperate with a system that is familiar to them. What is important is not to further entrench
Overall Discussion and Conclusions 281