Proposed soil and water conservation strategies for Lake Rawa Dano, West Java']Java, Indonesia

Lake Rawa Dano lies within a volcanic caldera in a reserve area of West Java. Locally, Rawa Dano means "swampy lake", reflecting that the lake is mostly covered by the swamp forest and water plantations. The lake acts as a water supply for the Krakatao Industrial Estate as well as for the city of Cilegon. There is significant soil erosion in the lake catchment with sediment production averaging 3.32 t ha(-1) year(-1). In addition, lake siltation and water plant blooming has caused a decline of lake water quality. Soil and water conservation strategies are needed urgently to mitigate the sediment and nutrient inputs to the lake. The first step is to adopt a civil engineering approach by constructing control dams, check dams, and gully plug/drops, especially for slopes of >30% where there is a high erosion risk. Subsequently, systems of minimum tillage fanning, agroforestry, or farm forestry need to be established. The establishment of a water authority is important to aid reversion to a more natural hydrological status by controlling forest encroachment, encouraging soil and water conservation practice, and regulating community development. The water authority could gain income from local water beneficiaries then reinvest in further soil and water conservation practices.