ASEAN and Border Management Study Center of UMRAH held Online Focus Group Discussion (FGD) of Oil Sludge and Micro-Plastic Pollution Occurrence in Bintan Island: Assessment and Mitigation of Environmental Damage, August 13, 2021. This program involved the local government agency in Bintan, Agency of Environment and Forestry of Kepulauan Riau Province, Coastal and Marine Resource Management Center (BPSPL) Padang in Tanjungpinang, Watershed and Protected Forest Management Center (BPDASHL), Yayasan Ecology, and Banyan Tree Bintan to assess the impact of plastic particles/ fragments in sediment, and extent of oil pollution in Bintan island as preliminary assessment to  determine the oil spill extent and micro-plastic in Bintan coastal area, to gather the local communities perception on those pollution, and to prepare the waste management solution to prevent the upcoming occurrence.

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WPPNRI 711 is one of the busiest international shipping line deliver the vulnerability to the environment caused by tank cleaning, offshore oil exploration, ship accident, ballast water discharge, ship dock and illegal sludge disposal. The pollution affect lethal and sub-lethal impact to destruction of ecosystem function, economic loss of marine resources, impact to the potential marine-tourism sector, marine life loss (threat to the sustainability mangrove, coral and marine biodiversity), and extra cost for clean-up and recovery. According to Banyan Tree Conservation, approximately 800 meters of Lagoi coastal area polluted by plastics and oil.

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Environmental ethics is related to the activity of something more than to show off to the world by understanding deep ecology, better Interconnecting relationship and deeper understanding of true nature. Environmentalism is the new kind of grammar of only one earth along with the actions of civil society on finding the dialectics between environmental issues and development, and as the equality of all creatures in ontological status, as said by Yuval Harari “We are wreaking havoc on our fellow animals and on the surrounding ecosystem, seeking little more than our own comfort and amusement, yet never find satisfaction”.

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Less data, will serve poor management, then, good data will serve predicted management, which means by understanding the level of contamination, and we will have the measurement of suitable service to prevent the problem from the very beginning. The data may also have the contribution to increase public awareness through citizen science. It is a program of addressing environmental problems through public awareness, coastal clean-up, and pollutant monitoring (Syakti et al. 2017). Speakers recommend the direction of complete and comprehensive upcoming mitigation by research and monitoring, optimizing World Clean-Up Day, having collaboration to support conservation, reactivating sub-national task force especially in regulation and surveillance, community empowerment program in re-use of plastic litter in an assisted village, optimizing the role of college students as agents of change. In conclusion, policies affecting basic economic, technological and ideological structure must change. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from our own.

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This FGD supported by Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Ocean Solutions Microgrant with youth-led projects that support and promote the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources in accordance with United Nations SDG14. The goals of this program are to drive ocean innovation, strengthen youth involvement in the ocean sector, increase ocean literacy, and support new models of financially sustainable ocean conservation. Key lesson learnings from the program related to advancing the project and overcoming challenges to SDG14 implementation.