Beyond the Command Table: Socio-Ecological Collaborative Governance for Flood Disaster Management in Berau Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

Floods in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, have changed from seasonal events into a persistent and largely human-induced crisis, while the local government’s response capacity remains far below the scale of exposure. This study examines how collaborative governance operates in flood disaster management in Berau, identifies the factors that hinder and support it, and formulates a design for a more suitable governance model. A constructivist qualitative approach with a single case study design was used. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with key informants from government, the regional disaster management agency (BPBD), the military and police, affected residents, the Dayak customary community, a coal company, non-governmental organizations, and the media, complemented by field observation and document analysis. The data were coded in NVivo using the four dimensions of Ansell and Gash (2008). The findings show that collaboration was driven by resource scarcity rather than by shared trust: BPBD had only 10 permanent rapid-response personnel and 19 boats for about 38,788 people at risk. The multisector command system was formalized through a contingency plan and a regent’s decree, yet it did not include customary leaders, NGOs, and independent media. The response was sustained by frontline territorial officers, private-sector logistics, analog radio volunteers, and village-level resilience groups. The study proposes a Socio-Ecological Collaborative Governance model that rests on spatial and ecological justice, decentralized customary authority, distributed field leadership, and cross-medium communication.