Ministry Calls on Stakeholder to Rehabilitate Mangrove Ecosystem

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry for the Environment and Forestry has called for increased participation by all stakeholders in the rehabilitation of Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems. The Director General for the Management of Waterways and Forests, Hilman Nugroho, said on Thursday, February 12, 2015 that the rehabilitation of mangrove ecosystems requires extra patience and commitment.

"People usually give up after five or six years after the mangroves were planted. It's going to take a lot more time for the ecosystem to recover and benefit the community," said Hilman at the Mangrove for Nation Seminar in Denpasar, which was also attended by the Mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini.

Hilman said that mangrove ecosystems are usually damaged by the conversion of coastal lands into fisheries, residences, and other infrastructure projects. "Other causes of damage include untreated sewage from private homes and/or industries which flows freely on to the coastline," added Hilman.

Mangrove forests are inhabited by various species of fishes, birds, crustaceans, and other wild animals - the disappearance of which would impose massive ecological as well as economical costs. Furthermore, mangrove forests protects the coastline from abrasion, and the ground water from being contaminated by salty sea water, explained Hilman.

It is known that Indonesia is home to roughly about 25 percent of the world's mangrove forests - around 3,7 million hectares of mangrove forests are located in Indonesia out of the world’s total of 18 million hectares.

The Indonesian government has imposed several regulations aimed as a part of its' efforts to conserve its' mangrove ecosystem, which include the Ministry of Forestry's Decree No. P.09/2014, which provides incentives for communities to conserve their local mangrove ecosystems. "The government has also facilitated the formation of local working groups for mangrove preservation - currently, there are 25 such groups at the provincial level, and 21 others spread across several cities and regencies," said Hilman.

"Let's save the world and plant as much mangroves as we possibly could," said Hilman. "That way, we can continue to pump groundwater without ever having to fear land subsidence and tidal floods." (*)