E-ISSN 2281-4612 ISSN 2281-3993 Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies www.richtmann.org Vol 9 No 3 May 2020 147 . Research Article © 2020 Muhammad Obie and Lahaji. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Coastal and Marine Resource Policies and the Loss of Ethnic Identity of the Bajo Tribe Muhammad Obie Department of Sociology, State Islamic University of Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Indonesia Lahaji Faculty of Sharia, State Islamic University of Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Indonesia Doi: 10.36941/ajis-2020-0050 Abstract The Bajo Tribe constructs themselves as part of their environment; their identity is bound to their relationship with coastal and marine resources. They lived and owned the coastal and marine resources in Tomini Bay since the 1800s; however, it shifted when the state set conservation and concession policies since the 1980s. This research analyzed the coastal and marine resource policies and its impact on the ethnic identity of the Bajo tribe. The researchers applied the historical sociology approach and collected data through observation, interviews, and documentation methods. The result showed that the state policies regarding coastal and marine resources, which followed by the resettlement program to the land, caused the customary institution of the Bajo Tribe removed from its cultural roots. Conservation policy resulted in the territorializing of coastal and marine areas. Meanwhile, the concession policy of forest management permit and cultivation right on land had caused damage in coastal and marine resources due to overexploitation. These policies cause the loss of ethnic identity of the Bajo Tribe due to closed access and destruction of coastal and marine resources. Keywords: Coastal and marine resources, ethnic identity, Bajo tribe, Tomini bay, conservation; concession 1. Introduction The coastal area has strategic meaning due to the potential of natural resources and its wealthy environmental services. The richness of the resources attracted various parties to utilize them, and various institutions have tried to regulate the utilization (Yulianda et al., 2010; Deni Dj., 2009). Some parties who have the interest to manage the resource often clash and cause a conflict (Zulkifli et al., 2019; Obie et al., 2014; Camus, 2019; Rechciński et al., 2019). The coastal area can be understood as a meeting point of various interests from the state, corporation, and society in utilizing resources contained therein. Different perceptions and interests have triggered an overlap of authority and conflict of interest in the implementation of the regulation of coastal area management. This kind of situation puts local communities losing their ability to utilize the coastal and marine environment