PhD Project Title: Developing Remote Sensing Approaches for Monitoring of Tourism Activities and Environmental Change in Indonesia’s Marine Protected Areas
Supervisory Team: Dr. Lisa Becking (WUR), Dr. Caroline Gevaert (UT)
PhD Project Description: The coastal ecosystems of Indonesia provide essential ecological and socio-economic services but are increasingly threatened by human activities. Within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), tourism is increasingly present. This research addresses the knowledge gap in monitoring how land-use change and marine tourism affect coastal water quality and coral reefs in MPAs. The project integrates remote sensing technologies, including the use of drones as a remote sensing tool to assess long-term environmental changes. Using empirical data and systematic reviews, research will be conducted in MPAs in Indonesia’s three provinces: Bali (Nusa Penida), Maluku (Lease), and Papua Barat Daya (Raja Ampat). Satellite imagery will support historical analysis, while drone-based multispectral image data will provide high-resolution insights into present conditions. The project will develop a coastal water quality index and a framework to evaluate tourism impacts. The main objective of this research is to develop an integrated, remote sensing-based approach to monitor coastal water quality and tourism activity in Indonesia’s Marine Protected Areas.
Riza Pasaribu is a PhD candidate at Wageningen University and Research (WUR). He has a background as a Lecturer and Researcher at IPB University (IPB), Indonesia. His expertise is in Marine Remote Sensing and GIS, with a main focus on coastal waters and ecosystems, especially in small islands. Riza is passionate about developing remote sensing technology to enhance environmental monitoring techniques and to map or monitor coastal areas. He also collaborates closely with the government, NGO, and the private sector to monitor the coastal areas of small islands in Indonesia. Through his works, he promotes the use of remote sensing technology to facilitate data collection in hard-to-reach places, especially in coastal areas.