Evaluating community priorities for marine debris reduction in Batam City using importance–performance analysis: A preliminary study

Marine debris has become an escalating environmental challenge in Batam City, driven by rapid coastal development, port activities, tourism pressure, and waste leakage from surrounding settlements. As part of an early scoping effort, this preliminary study examines community priorities for improving marine debris management using the Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) framework. Eight key indicators of coastal waste governance: coastal waste bin provision, green port and marine waste transport, marine debris education, cross-border data sharing, community beach clean-ups, participation incentive schemes, marine debris risk information, and enforcement of anti-littering were evaluated by 70 respondents across major coastal areas of Batam in September 2025. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondent characteristics, while IPA mapped perceived importance against perceived performance for each indicator. The results reveal several priority gaps, with some indicators rated as highly important yet insufficiently implemented, highlighting areas that require immediate policy attention. Infrastructure availability, environmental education, and regulatory enforcement emerged as relative strengths, whereas risk communication, institutional collaboration, and community engagement showed notable performance challenges. The findings provide an initial evidence base to guide more targeted interventions and support the development of adaptive, community-centered marine debris reduction strategies in Batam City.