Nunung, 48, has lived her entire life in the village of Pondok Kelapa, Bengkulu province, Sumatra Island. Since 2011, the beach near her home has been eroding rapidly. This erosion now threatens nearby homes and the livelihoods of Pondok Kelapa’s approximately 4,300 residents, as intensified climate impacts increase severe coastal erosion and disrupt fisheries through ocean acidification and overfishing. In response, Nunung and about 30 other women formed Sungai Perempuan Lemau to seek climate resilience support from the government. Rania, another member of the collective, shared that while earlier attempts by men to build a seawall were ignored, the women’s efforts, supported by the Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI), offer renewed hope. Their advocacy has included meeting with provincial officials to push for wave-protection structures and ecosystem rehabilitation measures, such as planting mangroves. The group’s goal is to secure government action to prevent further erosion and protect their homes before intensifying coastal impacts and extreme weather events displace them.
