Key research themes
1. How has coastal and environmental management in Banda Aceh addressed challenges posed by natural disasters and urban development?
This research theme examines the status, challenges, and future trends of coastal zone management in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, focusing on how integrated coastal management (ICZM) frameworks are applied to balance urbanization, resource use, and disaster resilience. The importance lies in the vulnerability of Banda Aceh's coast to climate-driven hazards such as sea-level rise, floods, and erosion, coupled with socio-economic pressures from population growth and migration, requiring holistic sustainable development practices.
2. What are the socio-political and historical impacts of major disasters and conflict on Banda Aceh’s societal structures and post-disaster recovery?
This theme focuses on understanding how the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the prolonged Aceh conflict have influenced societal dynamics, peace processes, and family reconstruction in Banda Aceh. It also explores the role of local institutions, cultural transformations, and community resilience mechanisms addressing post-disaster vulnerability, social welfare distribution, and reconstruction efforts. The insights are crucial for informing post-conflict peacebuilding and disaster recovery policies in Aceh.
3. How does the legacy of Aceh’s historical institutions and cultural norms influence contemporary governance and social order in Banda Aceh?
This theme investigates the evolution and transformation of Aceh’s indigenous and Islamic institutions such as the Panglima Laot and the Aceh Islamic Scholar Consultative Assembly (MPU), and how their historical roles have shaped current legal and socio-political structures. It also considers how traditional values and Islam-based governance frameworks affect legal decrees, community norms, and conflict resolutions, providing critical lenses on the intersection of religious authority, customary law, and post-conflict governance in Banda Aceh.
4. What is the prevalence and zoonotic significance of parasitic infections in wild long-tailed macaques in Aceh’s ecotourism regions?
This emerging biomedical and conservation theme explores the parasitic burden of Macaca fascicularis across natural habitats exposed to frequent human-primate interactions in four ecotourism sites in Aceh. Understanding prevalence rates, parasite diversity, and morphological identification of gastrointestinal and ectoparasites informs zoonotic risk assessments, primate health, and public health policies, especially in One Health frameworks where human, animal, and environmental health intersect.