Stakeholder Support for Riparian Groups in Urban River Management: Communication and Collaboration Challenges in South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

Effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders are vital to sustain community-based initiatives for urban river management. This study explores the level and variation of stakeholder support received by 31 riparian groups established along urban waterways in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Unlike many community-based studies that focus on individuals, this research emphasizes the collective organizational dimension of riparian groups as key actors in maintaining urban river ecosystems. Data were collected from 186 respondents representing group leaders, deputies, and members, and analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) to account for the nested structure of individuals within groups. The findings reveal that overall stakeholder support remains low and unevenly distributed. Assistance is largely confined to technical and financial forms, while critical aspects such as capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation are rarely addressed. Government agencies dominate engagement, with minimal participation from civil society and private sectors. The significant inter-group variance (ICC = 0.59) indicates disparities in communication and collaboration across riparian groups. These results highlight the need for more inclusive and continuous cross-sector communication strategies to strengthen stakeholder collaboration, enhance group capacities, and promote sustainable socio-economic transformation in urban agromaritime environments.