Investigation of Communities Adaptation and the Role of Landscape Functions in Urban Informal Settlements, Indonesia.

Abstract

Socio-ecological connectivity highlights the significance of landscape functions as they support communities' resilience in disaster-prone areas. The study aimed to investigate community adaptive capacities in disaster-risk conditions and adopt strategies to reduce vulnerability with the help of landscape functions. Additionally, it intends to examine human-nature relationships by analyzing the perceived importance and performance of each function. Data was collected through questionnaires to obtain residents' perceptions in three sub-districts in Kupang, Indonesia. In addition, two hundred and ninety-four residents were selected as research participants. The results indicate that the overall vulnerability score in three regions is classified as almost vulnerable. Manutapen has high scores in adaptive capacity aspects; however, Airmata has a low score for soil conservation due to the high density of buildings. Respondents in Mantasi and Airmata rely on the provisioning function for daily needs. In Mantasi and Manupaten, the landslide control function is a very high priority. Meanwhile, in Airmata, the main priority should be given to the functions of supporting and regulating. Understanding socio-ecological relationships with attention to the performance of landscape functions is invaluable to supporting sustainable landscape management. It can also ease the pressure of climate change that communities have to contend with.