Bangka Belitung, 14 January 2026 — Changemakers from Belitung under the Berikanesia Lestari initiative, with support from Instellar Impact through Catalyst Changemakers Ecosystem (CCE) 3.0, have successfully implemented blue economy innovations over the past year on Belitung Island. Through close collaboration with local government, fisher groups, aquaculture farmers, community health workers, and local residents, Berikanesia Lestari shared the program’s results, lessons learned, and best practices during the Berikanesia Lestari Program Results Dissemination event.
The program serves as a local example of circular economy principles in action by reclaiming abandoned mining pits (kulong) into nutrient-rich fish farming ponds, processing fish waste from markets into affordable fish feed, and supporting the development of fisheries-based MSME products. This integrated approach not only addresses environmental challenges but also creates new opportunities in public health and local economic development.
Over one year of implementation, Berikanesia Lestari successfully converted one former mining pit into a pilot freshwater tilapia farming site. The harvest has been used for fish-protein–based nutrition interventions for malnourished children, while also supplying raw materials for local MSME processed products. Meanwhile, fish waste from local fish markets has been hygienically processed into high-quality fish feed, helping reduce production costs for farmers while minimizing environmental pollution.
“Significant results have been achieved: one former tin mining site has been productively revitalized into a tilapia farming area using feed processed from leftover fish collected across Belitung Regency. A total of 11.7 tons of fish waste has been repurposed into 7 tons of fish meal and 2.7 tons of affordable fish pellets, in collaboration with 30 waste collectors and 50 fish farmers,” said Ibnu Hasanuddin in his remarks.
During the panel discussion and policy talk session, Berikanesia Lestari representative Khodijah A. Zahir highlighted the strong potential of integrated, community-based solutions. From the tilapia harvest, the team developed value-added products such as sago crackers, mie pandai, shredded fish (abon ikan), sambal lingkung, and kemplang crackers, produced through a shared community production house. Tilapia was also used as part of nutrition intervention meals for 87 children experiencing malnutrition and stunting in Aik Seruk Village.
“This intervention has shown positive outcomes, with 26% of toddlers no longer classified as stunted and 21% achieving good nutritional status. These results demonstrate that community-based approaches can simultaneously address environmental, health, and economic challenges,” said Khodijah.
From the supporting partner’s perspective, Rizky Anugrah, Head of Impact-Driven Enterprise Advisory at Instellar Impact, described Berikanesia Lestari as a strong example of local innovation translated into tangible impact. Through the Catalyst Changemakers Ecosystem (CCE) 3.0 program, Instellar Impact supports solutions that go beyond ideas and are tested in real-world contexts to meet community needs. In this case, Berikanesia Lestari demonstrates how cross-sector collaboration and community-driven approaches can create a sustainable blue economy model with strong potential for replication in other regions facing similar challenges.
Belitung Vice Regent Syamsir, S.I.Kom., described the program as a turning point in the utilization of former mining land, creating new economic opportunities while improving child nutrition outcomes. The processing of fish waste into aquaculture feed was highlighted as an environmentally friendly circular economy system. He encouraged the continuation and integration of these best practices into regional and national development agendas to expand and sustain their impact.
Berikanesia Lestari is a consortium of three organizations: Berikan Protein Initiative, Ikanesia, and Selaras Muba Lestari. The initiative originated from the Catalyst Changemakers Ecosystem (CCE) 3.0 program under Instellar Impact, which focuses on strengthening changemakers’ capacity to develop sustainable solutions through mentorship, networks, and cross-sector collaboration.
Through this dissemination event, Berikanesia Lestari hopes that the lessons and best practices generated can serve as a reference for local governments, communities, and other stakeholders in promoting an inclusive and sustainable blue economy across Belitung Island and other coastal regions in Indonesia.