From shark hunters to sea guardians: Environmental literacy transformation and socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people in Sapeken Islands, East Java-Indonesia

The Bajo people are known for their closeness to and dependence on the sea. Over the past few decades, the Bajo people have undergone significant changes that are worth examining. This study aims to analyze the socio-ecological transformation of the Bajo people who inhabit Sadulang Besar Island, Sapeken Archipelago, East Java, with particular attention to how environmental literacy, intergenerational learning, and shifting livelihood strategies have contributed to changes in marine practices and ecological identity. They have transformed from shark hunters into key actors in environmental literacy-based marine stewardship. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study design. The study involved community leaders—former shark hunters, young environmental activists, seaweed farmers, teachers from educational institutions, and village government officials. A total of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted across these groups, supported by participant observation, documentation of community activities, a community ecological-literacy survey, and village-level secondary records. The collected data were then analyzed using the interactive model of Miles et al. The results show that increasing community-based environmental literacy is a key factor in changing ecological behavior and reconstructing the identity of the Bajo people. At the same time, the findings suggest that this transformation was not driven by literacy alone, but also by changing economic opportunities, youth leadership, external mentoring, and community reflection on the ecological consequences of earlier practices. The process of critical reflection and transformative learning supports the younger generation of the Bajo people in developing conservation movements, including coral transplantation, the construction of fish houses/apartments, and intensive community mentoring in seaweed cultivation. Quantitative data show an 87.2% decrease in households actively engaged in shark hunting and an increase in participation in conservation activities from 22% to 74% over the past decade. Sapeken District is also listed as the largest seaweed producer in Sumenep Regency. These findings demonstrate that environmental literacy, fostered by local awareness, has been shown to drive social and economic change toward sustainability. Rather than presenting the case as a simple success story, this article highlights a negotiated and still ongoing transition in which conservation, livelihood adaptation, and social legitimacy continue to be worked out within the community. This research provides conceptual and practical contributions to the development of a community-based environmental literacy model for coastal stewardship, while acknowledging its contextual limits and the need for comparative studies in other Sama-Bajau/Bajo settings.