Improving Local Potential and Attempting to Save Environment Between Indonesia – Malaysia Border

Abstract Nunukan Regency, located on the Indonesian-Malaysian border, is the largest seaweed-producing area in Indonesia. The territorial waters of Nunukan Island are almost entirely employed as seaweed cultivation areas traditionally by communities. The seaweed cultivation process in water utilizes plastic bottle waste as floats for seaweed seeds. Problems potentially occurred when used plastic bottles employed as floats for seaweed cultivation became piles of rubbish that continued to increase due to obsolete and could contaminate coastal and marine ecosystems. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program aimed to improve local potential by overcoming pollution issues due to the seaweed cultivation process.s Through the CSR program, PT Pertamina EP Tarakan Field (PEP Tarakan Field) initiated a social innovation by inviting all seaweed farmers to exchange incompatible used plastic bottle floats in the cultivation process; the plastic bottle waste could only be used for a short term due to the durability of the bottle material. Furthermore, the plastic bottle waste would be taken to the main waste bank under company guidance. The used plastic bottles would be processed into new floats with better durability and buoyancy; thus, they could be used by seaweed farmers for longer periods. The processed floats would be given free to farmers who were willing to exchange their used bottles. The supervision of the ongoing program was carried out periodically to determine farmer's interest in this program. Socialization also continued to be committed to seaweed farmers regarding the preservation of aquatic ecosystems, which needed to be maintained; hence, the local potential of seaweed could continue to be increased The persuasive methods employed by researchers could be confirmed capable of attracting public attention, especially the seaweed farmers. Within 1-year, most farmers had used more durable recycled floats in their seaweed cultivation activities. The amount of plastic bottle float waste previously produced from the cultivation process could also be reduced, thereby declining environmental pollution risk. The researcher carried out social innovation programs to improve the production efficiency of seaweed cultivation as a leading commodity in Nunukan Regency and reduced plastic bottle waste, which polluted the aquatic ecosystem.