There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Julia, a Master's student from the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, smiles while overlooking green rice terraces in Indonesia. © SCOPE-HE

“To achieve a sustainable Blue Economy, we must recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

For Julia Vartmann, a Master’s student in Transformation and Sustainable Living Spaces – Reshape Tourism at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany, this was the most important lesson she took home from the H2O Summer Course in Indonesia. It was not simply about learning new concepts. It was about realising that sustainable development cannot be achieved through a single discipline, a single solution, or a single perspective.

That realisation emerged through the H2O Summer Course: Building Resilience Highland to Ocean (H2O): The Role of Nature-Based Solutions in Supporting a Sustainable Blue Economy, organised under the Higher Education Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy (STABLE), one of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) Clusters of SCOPE-HE (EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education Programme). Funded by the European Union through the Global Gateway initiative, SCOPE-HE strengthens collaboration between higher education institutions across Europe and Southeast Asia to address shared challenges through education, research, innovation and capacity development.

Looking Beyond Tourism

Unlike many participants with backgrounds in marine science or fisheries, Julia approached the programme from a different perspective. Her academic focus is sustainable tourism and how destinations can be transformed to balance environmental protection, economic development and community wellbeing.

“Tourism is also part of the Blue Economy,” she explains. “But there are many other aspects as well. During the programme, I had the opportunity to learn from marine biologists and participants from many different backgrounds. That was very interesting.”

Before arriving in Indonesia, Julia expected to be one of only a few participants from outside the natural sciences. Instead, she found herself working alongside students and researchers in marine biology, mathematics, business and other disciplines.

“I thought I would be the only one coming from a different background,” she says. “I didn’t expect the programme to be so interdisciplinary. Bringing together people from different fields and combining that knowledge for the Blue Economy was very valuable.”

For Julia, this diversity became one of the programme’s greatest strengths.

Seeing Sustainability Through a Different Lens

The Summer Course and discussions with fellow participants and local experts sharpened Julia’s understanding of where the real barriers lie and what’s needed for a sustainable transformation of the blue economy.

“Measures like banning single-use plastics or introducing stricter environmental regulations are necessary but easier said than done,” she says. “Here I learned that things are often more complex on the ground. The challenge lies in finding solutions that meet the interests of various stakeholders.“

“Regulations and initiatives are most effective if they’re developed together with the people affected by them. Otherwise, they may lead to resistance instead of change,” she explains.

Rather than viewing sustainability as a checklist of solutions, Julia sees it as a long-term process requiring behavioural change, institutional support, collaboration and community acceptance.

“Transformation takes time,” she says. “It has to be accepted by many people. Many people have to implement it, and it has to become part of the system.”

Building Solutions Together

Field visits throughout the programme reinforced this perspective.

While exploring mangrove restoration initiatives and community-based coastal management, Julia recognised opportunities to connect environmental conservation with sustainable tourism. Carefully planned ecotourism, she believes, could generate additional income for local communities while creating stronger incentives to protect natural ecosystems.

She also saw opportunities and the need to improve tourism practices themselves. During a visit to Pulau Tidung, for example, she suggested how relatively small changes—such as using permanent mooring buoys instead of dropping anchors onto coral reefs or providing environmental briefings before snorkelling activities—could significantly reduce pressure on fragile marine ecosystems.

For Julia, however, successful projects cannot simply be introduced from the outside.

Reflecting on a potential future collaboration around mangrove restoration, she explains:

“You have to work with the community together… not just doing a project. You have to actually build it together, so that people accept it and work with it.”

Julia and H2O Summer Course participants from Europe and Indonesia pose together during a field visit, highlighting the programme’s interdisciplinary and international collaboration.© SCOPE-HE

Beyond One Discipline

Looking back on the Summer Course, Julia believes its greatest achievement was not only the knowledge it shared, but the way it brought people together.

“To achieve a sustainable Blue Economy, we must recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. In order to balance the different interests of all stakeholders, they must work together. Therefore implementation must be community-oriented and requires interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and co-design skills. For me, the Summer Course was a great example of this itself, as it brought together students and experts from different disciplines. Experiencing this interdisciplinary exchange firsthand is what made it such a great learning experience.”

For Julia, the Summer Course demonstrated that the future of the Blue Economy depends not only on scientific knowledge, but also on the ability to connect disciplines, cultures and communities. It is this spirit of international collaboration—bringing together diverse expertise to develop solutions that reflect local realities—that lies at the heart of both STABLE and SCOPE-HE, and of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative to strengthen sustainable partnerships between Europe and Southeast Asia.

Julia from Germany and a participant from Universitas Musamus, Indonesia, smile for a selfie while travelling by boat during an H2O Summer Course field visit.© SCOPE-HE

About the Programme

The Higher Education Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy (STABLE) is one of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) Clusters supported through SCOPE-HE, the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education.

Supported by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative, SCOPE-HE strengthens collaboration between higher education institutions across Europe and Southeast Asia. Through STABLE, students, researchers and academics work together to advance education, research and innovation for a sustainable Blue Economy.