Integrating community empowerment, ecotourism, and maritime resilience for a sustainable blue economy

This study proposes an integrated framework for advancing the blue economy at the village level, with a case study in Samber Binyeri Village, Biak Numfor Regency, Papua, Indonesia. Although national policies aim to promote sustainable marine development, remote communities continue to face significant barriers, including institutional fragmentation, infrastructure limitations, and socio-economic exclusion. Through qualitative fieldwork- comprising two focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 25 participants and participatory observation- this study identifies structural constraints and emergent opportunities in cooperative fisheries, community-led ecotourism, and resilience planning. The findings underscore underutilized cooperative systems, inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, and fragmented tourism coordination. By linking community empowerment, ecological resilience, and inclusive development, this study contributes a place-based operational model for implementing blue economy strategies in underserved coastal contexts. Highlights Proposes an operational framework for blue economy implementation at the village scale. Based on qualitative fieldwork in Samber Binyeri Village, Biak Numfor, Papua. Identifies systemic barriers in fisheries cooperatives, post-harvest handling, and tourism planning. Presents practical entry points for localized community empowerment and marine resilience. Offers a scalable model for archipelagic states with marginalized maritime communities.