Most deltas in the world can be identified as one of two types: urban or rural. Examples of urban deltas include Jakarta, San Francisco, and Rotterdam. Rural deltas include Papua and Mahakam deltas in Indonesia and the Mekong and Red River deltas in Vietnam. Each type has its own set of issues, which are similar throughout the world. Prof. Sopaheluwakan says, ‘the rural deltas struggle with an uncontrolled exploitation of resources. In Indonesia, the Mahakam delta is already entering a point of no return in the illegal deforestation and the conversion of mangroves. We might be too late to restore this, and if actions are not taken promptly, the same thing could happen in other deltas in Indonesia. If we learn from the Mahakam delta, we might be able to save the other deltas and estuaries in the country, which still have millions of acres of fertile lowlands.’

Prof. Sopaheluwakan sees a lot of possibilities for the current partner regions in Delta Alliance to interact. ‘The Netherlands has a lot of expertise on managing water in lowlands and has also a strong funding structure, whereas Indonesia is able to supply its expertise on rural challenges and people to do many of the jobs needed to make the alliance work. Together we should work to manage and reconcile the many different interests of stakeholders.’

Another strong reason to place the delta issues on a higher level is the origin of the problems. ‘Many issues appear to be local, but in fact are driven by global dynamics. This is the case with food security issues and crops for food or fuel, and for many others.’

‘Delta Alliance is now in its starting phase and I truly believe there is a lot of potential for us to work together on the delta issues. I would like to see more active cooperation between the founding members by starting small and working on action oriented projects. We can take the lead and hopefully be inspiring to many coming members.’

Prof. Jan Sopaheluwakan is a Deputy Chairman for Scientific Services at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and Delta Alliance Indonesia Coordinator. He is also Chairman of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Systems, an initiative of IOC UNESCO. He holds other chair positions for UNESCO and the Joint East Kalimantan Project , a cooperation between KNAW, WOTRO, and LIPI.  Prof. Sopaheluwakan will be representing the Indonesian deltas at coming Delta Alliance events in Shanghai and Rotterdam.