Climate change is a driver of human mobility: it is expected to increase the displacement of populations. This presentation casts environmental and socio-economic perspectives on the relocation of Indonesia's capital city from Java to eastern Borneo, the first instance of large-scale, anticipatory, and managed environmental migration in the Anthropocene.

1. Environmental Migration in the
Anthropocene: Perspectives on
the Relocation of Indonesia's
Capital City to Eastern Borneo
Olivier Serrat | 2024

2. A Brief History of Jakarta
Jakarta has been inhabited since the 4th century CE, when
a small Indianized settlement connected the Indonesian
archipelago with the territory stretching between India and
China.
Captured by the Dutch in 1619, Jakarta was renamed
Batavia and became a trading outpost that served as the
de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies.
In 1942, Batavia was occupied by the Japanese and
renamed Jakarta. In 1949, it became the capital of the new
Republic of Indonesia.
Jakarta has experienced explosive growth: its population
increased from 1.5 million people in 1950 to 3.9 million in
1970, and stood at 11.4 million in 2023.
All the time more, environmental challenges associated with
overconcentration, overdevelopment, overpopulation, and
location in a deltaic floodplain have come to threaten
Jakarta's livability and sustainability (Serrat, 2024a, 2024b).

3. Environmental Challenges Facing
Jakarta
• Traffic Congestion: Rapid urbanization and economic growth, a high population
density, a high number of vehicles (both cars and motorcycles), a preference for
private vehicles, and inadequate public transportation exacerbate traffic
congestion in Jakarta.
• Air Pollution: Vehicle exhaust, coal combustion, open waste burning, industrial
emissions, road dust, etc. contaminate Jakarta's air quality.
• River Pollution: Plastic, household, and liquid waste as well as littering affect aquatic
life and human health in Jakarta. The Citarum is the most polluted river in the world.
• Flooding: Flooding owes to extreme rainfall, changes in land cover, land
subsidence, inadequate drainage capacity, clogged sewage pipes and
waterways, and deforestation in Jakarta's hinterland.
• Land Subsidence: Excessive groundwater extraction, the load of constructions,
extensive conversion of agricultural areas, natural consolidation of alluvial soil, and
tectonic activity are causing Jakarta to sink. Jakarta has sunk by 4 meters over the
last 30 years; some parts of the city have sunk by 2.5 meters in the last 10 years.
• Climate Change: Severe flooding and land subsidence are aggravated by rising
sea levels. About 40% of Jakarta is already below sea level. One third of the city
could be submerged by 2050.
Livability & Sustainability?
Traffic Congestion
Air Pollution
River Pollution
Flooding
Land Subsidence
Climate Change

4. From Jakarta to Nusantara: Relocating
Indonesia's Capital
In 2019, President Joko Widodo announced a plan to move
Indonesia's capital city from Jakarta to a purpose-built,
smart, and "sustainable forest city" in East Kalimantan, about
1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away in eastern Borneo. The new
capital city is called Nusantara, which translates as
"archipelago".
Nusantara will cover 256,000 hectares (990 square miles) and
cost an estimated $32 billion, with 80% participation from the
private sector. The population of Nusantara has been
capped at 1.9 million residents, including 1.5 million civil
servants, in consideration of environmental and land
carrying capacity.
The relocation of the civil servants and their family members
means that 6–7 million people in toto might move to
Nusantara. The relocation of Indonesia's capital city began
in earnest in 2022 but is programmed for completion in 2045.

5. Research Question & Subquestions
•SQ1. How will the Government
of Indonesia address the
concerns raised by the
relocation of Indonesia's capital
city with respect to indigenous
communities in Nusantara and
the welfare of Jakarta's
remaining population?
•SQ2. How will the Government
of Indonesia balance
infrastructure development to
create a sustainable and smart
capital city in Nusantara and
ensure minimal disruption to
governmental operations?
RQ. What are the
environmental and
socio-economic
implications of
relocating
Indonesia's capital
city, Jakarta, to
Nusantara in
eastern Borneo?

6. Summary of Key Findings (1)
Addressing
Concerns Raised by
the Relocation of
Indonesia's Capital
City Regarding
Indigenous
Communities in
Nusantara and the
Welfare of Jakarta's
Remaining
Population
The Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of Nusantara (AMAN) estimated that at least 20,000
indigenous people will be relocated as construction on Nusantara progresses. AMAN
has pointed out that one of the main challenges for indigenous peoples is to prove land
ownership so they might secure compensation in the event resettlement is forced.
The Government of Indonesia claims to have received support from local community
leaders and to have provided compensation to people whose land is being used for
the city. Above and beyond strict law and its application, indigenous peoples would
also need support from genuine, impactful, and sustainable policies, programs, and
initiatives. The local government has said it is working on programs to uphold local
culture.
The relocation of Indonesia's capital city is expected to alleviate population density in
Jakarta to decrease in turn traffic congestion, air pollution, and river pollution,
potentially improving the quality of life for the remaining residents. The larger Jakarta
metropolitan area is home to over 30 million people; for that reason, Jakarta should still
hold primary status after Indonesia's capital city relocates, which includes remaining the
nation's commercial and financial center as well as its logistics hub.

7. Summary of Key Findings (2)
Balancing
Infrastructure
Development to
Create a
Sustainable and
Smart Capital City
in Nusantara and
Ensure Minimal
Disruption to
Governmental
Operations
To limit the new capital city's immediate direct impacts on the environment, Nusantara
is located on a coastal site about 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from the sensitive
Heart of Borneo, in an area that had in earlier times been cleared for logging, coal
mining, and oil palm plantations.
The built-up urban area of Nusantara will only make up 25% of city's total area, with 65%
given over to tropical forest through reforestation of formerly cleared land and 10%
ascribed to parks and food production areas.
The Nusantara Net-Zero Strategy aims to reverse deforestation; eliminate fossil fuel use
for energy, electricity, and transportation; focus on green and smart apartment
buildings that adhere to a new model code for vertical housing; and run public
transportation on electricity.
Smart city technology will be incorporated throughout Nusantara in accordance with
the Nusantara Smart City Blueprint.
To ensure minimal disruption to its operations, the Government of Indonesia is
developing essential infrastructure in tune with the relocation process. The relocation of
civil servants is programmed to occur in stages.

8. Conclusion
Because concerns have been raised about the potential impact on local ecosystems, it is crucial that the
development of Nusantara be carried out responsibly. Because concern has also been raised about the
potential impact on indigenous communities, it is likewise vital that the Government of Indonesia respect
indigenous rights, conduct social impact assessments, include indigenous communities in planning and
decision-making processes, provide fair compensation where relocation is necessary, and make efforts to
preserve cultural heritage.
The relocation of Indonesia's capital city to Nusantara affords that country a unique opportunity to reshape its
future, balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. Purposeful and coordinated planning is
essential to ensure that the relocation of Indonesia's capital city delivers on its promises. At all times, the
Government of Indonesia's approach must rest on four basic, interlinked, and mutually reinforcing elements of
good governance: (a) accountability, (b) participation, (c) predictability, and (d) transparency.

9. Recommendation
The relocation of Indonesia's
capital city will enter the annals
of large-scale, anticipatory,
and managed environmental
migration in the Anthropocene:
it will generate lessons aplenty
and these should not be lost.
There is considerable scope for
multidisciplinary qualitative and
quantitative research, both
formative and evaluative,
leading to new understanding.
•Cultural Integration in Nusantara
•Cultural Preservation and Development in
Jakarta and Nusantara
•Environmental Impact of Nusantara
•Environmental Migration Planning
•Geopolitical Landscape
•Governance and Public Policy
•Health and Social Services in Nusantara
•Impact on Jakarta
•Impact on Local Communities in Nusantara
•Migration Patterns in Jakarta and Nusantara
•Migration Responses to Sea-Level Rise
•Socio-Economic Outcomes for the
Relocated Population
•Urban Planning and Infrastructure in
Nusantara
From Jakarta to Nusantara:
Potential Areas for Research

10. References
Serrat, O. (2024a). Understanding environmental migration:
A start-up kit. Unpublished manuscript, Georgetown
University.
Serrat, O. (2024b). Environmental migration in the
Anthropocene: Perspectives on the relocation of
Indonesia's capital city to eastern Borneo. Unpublished
manuscript, Georgetown University.

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