Indonesia’s coastal and marine spaces are increasingly subject to competing demands for extraction, infrastructure, conservation, transportation, fisheries, and industrial development. The expansion of marine mining and sand extraction raises fundamental questions about who has the authority to determine the use of coastal space and who bears the ecological consequences. This article examines conflicts surrounding marine extraction, with particular attention to sedimentation, coastal ecosystem degradation, fishing grounds, and the rights of traditional fishers. It argues that the transformation of marine space into an extraction zone can undermine livelihoods that depend on relatively stable coastal ecosystems while concentrating economic benefits among industrial and commercial actors. Sedimentation and habitat alteration may affect fisheries, mangroves, seagrass, and coral-associated ecosystems, creating cumulative impacts that are difficult to capture through conventional project-based environmental assessments. Drawing on marine political ecology and environmental-justice perspectives, the article investigates the distribution of benefits, risks, and decision-making power in coastal development. It emphasizes that traditional fishers should not be treated merely as stakeholders to be consulted after development decisions have been made. Their livelihoods and territorial relationships with the sea require substantive recognition within marine spatial planning. The article concludes that sustainable coastal governance must prioritize ecological integrity, livelihood security, participatory decision-making, and equitable access to marine resources.
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