The East Kalimantan project was originally designed to test and demonstrate integrated land and water management as a part of a broader strategy to improve province-wide coastal management capacity. The project achieved early success in building watershed consciousness in individual villages within the region. However, progress stalled when initial training, education and demonstration projects in communities failed to generate commitment at the higher government levels required for watershed-level management. Those planning, and workshops conducted helps to identify and discuss issues and actions with government officials, stakeholders and nongovernmental organizations.
An adaptive management approach helped formulate a new model for Balikpapan Bay that successfully engaged both institutions and local communities. Structured interviews and an internal assessment to refocus the project on problems confronting institutional counterparts resulted in an immediate increase in local stakeholder ownership and integration among local institutions with watershed management authority. Inter-agency integration was critical for any significant or sustained movement toward watershed-level results, i.e., improved, or stabilized condition of marine and coastal resources in Balikpapan Bay.
Early implementation actions demonstrated the effectiveness of interdepartmental issue teams and techniques for progressively moving work from independent projects to integrated institutional planning and budgeting. Interdepartmental collaboration led directly to new institutional arrangements codified in the signing of the Balikpapan Bay Strategic Management Plan.