How Local Knowledge Shapes Academic Research - REPOSITORY ON COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS:

Rooted propagules cultivated using soilless method with the Mangrove Bintan Lestari community. 2026. Photo by Pak Henky Irawan.

More scientists today are advocating for research to not only be confined to academic institutions alone. Through knowledge exchange with local communities, research may be shaped in more meaningful and effective ways.

Since 2018, Pak Henky Irawan, a marine scientist and lecturer at Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji (UMRAH), has been working with local communities in Bintan such as the Pengudang Mangrove School, Mangrove Bintan Lastari, and Senggarang Mangrove Group, to develop and implement mangrove planting and monitoring programmes. Trained in aquaculture, he is interested in studying how marine productivity can be improved while other needs, such as restoring the health of coastal ecosystems and economic needs of the communities, can also be fulfilled.

The aquaculture industry is often pointed to as one of the key threats to mangroves in Indonesia, with prior studies point towards that as a key driver of mangrove deforestation in the later half of the twentieth century¹. However, with the right practices, proponents of restorative aquaculture believe this does not have to be so.

Pak Henky’s research aims to develop innovative approaches for mangrove planting that can be transferred and implemented by local communities through training programmes. One of his recent research projects investigates hydroponics, a soilless cultivation method that relies on nutrients in water to grow plants. He is experimenting with how this method can be integrated into existing mangrove planting programmes to increase its efficiency - instead of carrying heavy soil-filled polybags onto transplantation site, hundreds of sprouted propagules can be moved in large baskets together.

Hydroponics set-up in Pengudang Mangrove nursery with Rhizophora mucronata seedlings as observed. March 2026. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.

Hydroponics set-up in Pengudang Mangrove nursery with Rhizophora mucronata seedlings as observed. March 2026. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.

The idea emerged through conversations with community members who shared observations of mangrove seeds naturally rooting in water. In nature, mangrove propagules can fall off the mother tree and float in the sea for up to eight months. During this eight-month period, these mangroves can grow roots and leaves with nutrients from the seawater before finally anchoring in the ground. Pak Henky hypothesizes that hydroponics reduces transplantation stress for the propagules, since they naturally derive nutrients from water instead of soil during their early years. However, this remains to be tested through future studies.

Floating hydroponic mangrove cultivation container being installed at Pengujan Village. February 2025. Photo by Henky Irawan.

Floating hydroponic mangrove cultivation container being installed at Pengujan Village. February 2025. Photo by Henky Irawan.

Conducting workshop with the Senggarang Mangrove Group and Bintan Lestari Mangrove Group to learn about hydroponics mangrove cultivation. February 2025. Photo by Pak Henky Irawan

Conducting workshop with the Senggarang Mangrove Group and Bintan Lestari Mangrove Group to learn about hydroponics mangrove cultivation. February 2025. Photo by Pak Henky Irawan

The following video elaborates on his perspectives on how local observations can inspire research design and translate lived experiences into new restoration methods in Bintan. It also features scientists, Dr Nisha and Dr Taillardat, scientists from the Earth Observatory Singapore at the Nanyang Technological University, who share how knowledge exchange with local communities has been beneficial to their scientific practice.

CONTRIBUTORS

Henky Irawan
Marine scientist and lecturer in the Study Program of Aquaculture at the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University (UMRAH) in Tanjungpinang

Henky Irawan is a marine scientist and lecturer at Raja Ali Haji Maritime University (UMRAH), Indonesia, with over a decade of experience in aquaculture innovation and coastal ecosystem management. His work focuses on advancing restorative aquaculture, integrating ecological restoration with sustainable production systems. He has led research on mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs, and commercially important species such as grouper and seaweed, producing impactful innovations including hydroponic mangrove propagation and engineered reef structures. Henky’s research aligns aquaculture practices with blue carbon strategies, biodiversity conservation, and community-based coastal resilience. He actively promotes ecosystem-based approaches that enhance habitat recovery while supporting livelihoods, particularly in Indonesia’s archipelagic regions. With a strong academic and leadership background, he contributes to bridging science, policy, and community implementation.

Dr Khairun Nisha
Research Fellow at Earth Observatory of Singapore

Dr Nisha is a Research Fellow in the Coral Geomorphology Group at the Earth Observatory Singapore, NTU. She specializes in palaeoecology and geochemistry analyses of peat and sediment from different forests. Her research focuses on reconstructing past environmental and ecological changes using multi-proxy approaches, including pollen, charcoal, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, and geochronology indicators. Currently, her work investigates tipping points in Singapore’s mangrove ecosystems in response to Holocene sea-level changes. By integrating field observations, laboratory analyses, and quantitative data interpretation, her research aims to improve understanding of long-term coastal ecosystem dynamics and contribute to the conservation and restoration of mangrove.

Dr Pierre Taillardat
Nanyang Assistant Professor at Asian School of the Environment

Pierre Taillardat is a Nanyang Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), within the Asian School of the Environment (ASE), specializing in wetland ecosystems, carbon cycling, and nature-based climate solutions. Combining field-based measurements with advanced modelling approaches, he contributes to improving the quantification of wetland carbon dynamics and their role in climate mitigation, with a particular interest in mangroves and tropical peatlands.