The environmental dynamics in shaping ecological governance for sustainable development in coastal areas

Abstract This paper explains the ecological crisis in rural coastal areas by reconstructing an ecological governance model that integrates environmental dynamics variables, with a focus on Pangandaran, West Java, a representative region of Indonesia’s coastal challenges, including overfishing and unsustainable practices. This study examines the impact of the following factors: environmental dynamics, including economic and financial, physical infrastructure, social, spiritual, and environmental management, on sustainable development, with ecological governance serving as a mediator. This research employs quantitative methods, utilizing Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) tools, on survey data collected from 178 villagers in Pananjung, Wonoharjo, Babakan, and Pangandaran villages. The study shows a significant positive influence of economic-financial (0.497) and social (1.558) environments on sustainable development. Ecological governance also has a positive impact on sustainable development (0.205), while environmental management has a more negligible positive effect on ecological governance (0.078). The direct impact of the physical infrastructure environment on sustainable development is very minimal (0.056). Particularly, the natural and spiritual environment variables did not show a significant effect. The model emphasizes the importance of synergizing sustainable infrastructure development with community awareness, advocating for multi-actor collaboration among government, the private sector, academia, and local villagers to create effective cross-sectoral policies that address local environmental dynamics. Despite the limitations of the sample size and cross-sectional design, this study makes a theoretical contribution to understanding ecological governance. It offers practical implications for integrative sustainable development planning in coastal areas. All variables showed acceptable reliability and discriminant validity. The findings highlight the need for governance models to prioritize locally relevant environmental dynamics.