Citarum Living Lab, an effort to revitalize river collaboratively based on the community

NEWS - The Citarum River, one of Indonesia’s most polluted waterways, is undergoing a transformation towards revitalisation through an innovative “Living Lab” approach. Research led by Monash University explores how the Citarum Living Lab contributes to planetary health in response to global river pollution and economic development imperatives.

The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia, is a critical source of water, food, energy and livelihood for over 25 million people.

The Citarum Living Lab is an effort to collaboratively restore and empower rivers. A pioneering program that combines community-led, cross-disciplinary research and practical interventions to address pollution, urbanisation and climate change impacts.

The project brings together local communities, government, NGOs, businesses and researchers to collaboratively develop and test sustainable solutions to restore river ecosystems. An initiative that explores local knowledge and encourages community participation to create scalable solutions that balance economic, social and environmental needs.

"Through the Citarum Living Lab, we aim to empower communities and stakeholders to collaboratively develop actionable strategies to address the complex challenges facing the Citarum River," said Paris Hadfield, Research Fellow from Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI)

A new approach to more inclusive and effective watershed management, particularly in peri-urban environments. The research focuses on the importance of local engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing global environmental challenges and sustainable development goals. A key aspect of the project is practical and sustainable design interventions.

"The design element is critical to this project, as it helps integrate technical solutions with the social fabric of the community. This creates a system that is not only efficient but also culturally and socially resonant," said Michaela Prescott from Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA)

Original research

Hadfield P, Prescott M, Holden J, Novalia W, Suwarso R, Marthanty DR, et al. (2024). Citarum Living Lab: Co-creating visions for sustainable river revitalisation. PLOS Water 3(8): e0000200, DOI:10.1371/journal.pwat.0000200

Limestone beads (Jacquemontia paniculata)

Limestone beads ( Jacquemontia paniculata ) is a species of plant in the Convolvulaceae. It is a herbaceous, twining climbing plant with cylindrical, branched, green stems. It grows in shrubs, teak forest floors, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas. J. paniculata has arrow-shaped, green leaves with a central main vein and numerous pinnate minor veins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long, 7 cm wide, and have stalks up to 5 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, about 1 cm in diameter, and bluish-white. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Convolvulaceae Subfamily: Dichondroideae Tribe: Jacquemontieae Genus: Jacquemontia Choisy in Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 6: 476 (1833 publ. 1834) Species: Jacquemontia paniculata (Burm.f.) Hallier f. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 18: 95 (1893) Variety: Jacquemontia paniculata var. grandiflora Ooststr., Jacquemontia paniculata var. lanceolata S.H.Huang, Jacquemontia paniculata v...

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea)

Sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family, erect, woody shrub, growing up to 2 meters tall, cylindrical stems, angular, green with white hairs. The leaves are elongated, green and thick, up to 20 cm long and up to 4 cm wide. The petioles are up to 1 cm long. The inflorescences are yellow in long panicles. The fruit is an elongated, oval capsule, 3 cm long, with a 1 cm stalk and white hairs. The seeds are shiny, 2-3 mm long capsules. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Tribe: Crotalarieae Genus: Crotalaria L. in Sp. Pl.: 714 (1753) Species: Crotalaria juncea L. in Sp. Pl.: 714 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Crotalaria benghalensis Lam. in Encycl. 2: 196 (1786) Crotalaria cannabinua Royle in Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 82 (1834) Crotalaria fenestrata Sims in Bot. Mag. 44: t. 1933 (1817) Crotalaria juncea var. bengalensis (Lam.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. ...

Kunu buti (Mesosphaerum suaveolens)

Kunu buti ( Mesosphaerum suaveolens ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect, herbaceous annual, growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Its cylindrical, rough, brown or green stem is hairy and white. It grows on forest floors, bushes, agricultural fields, and roadsides. Its roots are fibrous and brownish-yellow. M. suaveolens has single, opposite leaves, stalks 2-5 cm long and hairy. The leaf blades are green, hairy, oval, with pointed tips, blunt bases, serrated edges, up to 6 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, and pinnate veins. The flowers are compound, axillary, in clusters, perfect, and bisexual. The petals are attached, forming a tube, each tip elongated like a spine, soft, 3-10 mm long, and green. The corolla is attached, asymmetrically detached, 1-2 cm long, and purple. The fruit is single, hard, capsule-shaped, hairy on the surface, and green or brown in color. The seeds are round, small and blackish brown in color. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphyl...

Dlium