Sustainable Landscape Approach for Post-Flash Flood Reconstruction in Sumatra: A Review

Abstract

The catastrophic flash floods that struck Sumatra in late 2025 resulted in 969 fatalities, 262 missing persons, and economic losses exceeding USD 3.11 billion, exposing critical failures in watershed management and spatial planning. This qualitative literature review examines the implementation of sustainable landscape approaches in post-disaster reconstruction, explicitly addressing the reconstruction needs following Sumatra's flash floods. Through thematic synthesis of 85 sources from reputable journals (2020-2026), policy documents, and case studies, this study identifies six core themes: (1) disaster risk-sensitive spatial planning integration, (2) ecosystem restoration as a foundational strategy, (3) community resilience and participatory governance, (4) landscape-based livelihood restoration, (5) multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms, and (6) monitoring and adaptive management systems. The findings reveal that sustainable landscape approaches—integrating Build Back Better principles, Nature-based Solutions, and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction—offer comprehensive frameworks that simultaneously address ecological restoration, disaster risk reduction, and socio-economic recovery. Critical success factors include political commitment, integrated sectoral planning, genuine community participation, adequate financing, and technical capacity development. The study proposes a multidimensional reconstruction strategy for Sumatra encompassing upper-watershed forest restoration (50,000 hectares target), intensive agroforestry buffer zones (100,000 hectares), disaster risk-sensitive zoning enforcement, and the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform. Policy recommendations emphasise institutional reform, legal strengthening for protected area enforcement, innovative financing through Payment for Ecosystem Services, and capacity building for landscape-based disaster risk reduction. This research contributes to disaster recovery literature by demonstrating how landscape approaches can transform post-disaster reconstruction from reactive infrastructure rebuilding to proactive, ecosystem-based resilience building.