Some 69 pct of Java, Bali mangrove forests damaged

Antara News, Wednesday, July 28, 2010 12:45 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News)- The People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice has appealed to the government on the need to preserve and improve mangrove forests.

The mangrove preservation is necessary to prevent them from disappearance from the face of the earth because the forests provide ground for fishes, shrimp, and mollusks for spawning and rearing.

According to data of the People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara), damage of mangrove forests in the 1997-2008 period reached 68 percent.

Kiara program coordinator Abdul Halim said in Jakarta Wednesday damage of the mangrove ecosystem was caused by industrial anthropogenic waste in coastal areas.

Besides, the other causes include coastal land conversion for industrial purposes, commercial centers and luxury residential areas. The wastes caused damage of the mangrove ecosystem, and consequently making it difficult for fishermen to earn a living, he said.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Marine and Fishery Affairs set itself a target that by 2014, some 1,440 hectares of coastal areas would be preserved preventing them from environmental damage along national coastal areas. And of the 1,440 ha, some 101.7 percent could be preserved each year.

"The target needs to be coupled with the seriousness of the Minister of Marine and Fishery Affairs in carrying out the program," Abdul Halim said.

He added that seriousness in preserving the northern coastal areas of Java and Bali could become a reality if the program did not restore the ecological and social functions of the coastal ecosystem.

It is under these circumstances that it would be very important to involve the fishermen and coastal communities, he said.

For this reason that it is time for the Ministry of Marine and Fishery Affairs for a refreshment in restoring the mangrove forest ecosystem and raise the living standard of fishermen and the community in the coastal regions.

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Minister: Indonesia`s mangroves in critical condition

President: Do not throw garbage into rivers

Antara News, Monday, June 7, 2010 16:13 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday called on the people not to litter rivers with garbage because it could destroy mangrove forests along the coast lines.

"Again, I ask the people not to throw garbage arbitrarily into rivers because it will destroy our mangrove forests at the sea shores," President Yudhoyono said when he inspected a mangrove forest area in the Muara Angke natural tourist park in North Jakarta.

On the occasion the president said environmental pollution would cause floods , various kinds of disease which would in the long run compel the government to spend a lot of funds on people`s health programs.

The head of state said it was better at the earlier stage to use the funds to save the environment, including mangrove forests, in an effort to save the people from the threat of natural disasters in the future.

"Some parts of the rivers are clean enough but most of them are still littered with garbage," the president said.

During his visit to the Muara Angke park, the President was accompanied by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.

The Angke Kapuk natural tourist park is a 99.82-hectare natural conservation area covered by mangrove forests.

The area has been declared a tourist forest area for mangrove reforestation and rehabilitation and natural tourist activities.

Up to the end of April 2006, some 40 ha of the area had been rehabilitated and reforested with mangrove trees.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said on the occasion that his office has been cooperating with the Jakarta City Administration for five years to plant at least 9 million mangrove trees in the area.

"We have planted mangrove trees several times here, at Teluk Angke, at Ancol resort, and even at other locations in an effort to make Jakarta green," the forestry minister said.

According to him, mangrove-tree-planting activity should be intensified because environmental damage along the coast of Jakarta Bay had reached an alarming level.

Dumai coastal erosion reaches ‘alarming pace’

Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru | Fri, 04/30/2010 10:07 AM

The coast of Dumai in Riau province is facing further coastal erosion due to damage to mangrove swamps, resulting in tides from the Malacca Strait slam against the shore, eroding up to 7 meters of coastline annually.

One of the worst-affected locations is Puak Beach in Teluk Makmur subdistrict in Medang Kampai.

Local community leader M. Nasir Efendi said the land between the coast the main road in the village had receded by more than 250 meters.

“When it was built in 1956, the distance between the road and the coast was around 300 meters, but now, during high tides, seawater reaches some sections of the 5-kilometer road,” Nasir told The Jakarta Post.

He added that residents had repeatedly requested government action to reclaim the coastline to save the village from high tides, but that the local administration had only built a wave barrier.

“What else can we do? The cost of coastal reclamation is too high, but residents still hope a dam will be built along the whole coast,” he said, adding that currently, only on a small stretch of the coast had a dam.

Nasir estimates that Teluk Makmur subdistrict would be washed away in the next 15 years without immediate action.

“If the rate of abrasion is on average 5 meters annually, the sea would reach the village in the next 10 years,” he said.

Dumai Environmental Agency head Zulfa Indra said the pace of coastal erosion in Dumai had reached an alarming level.

Apart from eroding land, he added that the waves could also extend the cliffs along the coast up to two meters inland.

Coastal erosion is not limited to Teluk Makmur subdistrict, he said. The coast along Pelintung Industrial Zone is also undergoing rapid erosion. “A large part of the mangrove swamps that previously served as a coastal barrier have vanished,” he said.

“Changes in land use have caused widespread mangrove forest destruction.

“Mangrove swamps still remain in a number of locations, but they are still young and require special care and supervision,” he added.

Zulfa said his agency faced difficulties curbing the pace of coastal erosion due to limited funds.

Last year, he said, the Dumai city budget allocated only Rp 3 billion (US$330,000) to maintain coastal areas, forcing the agency to postpone coastal barrier projects in a number of locations.

“The available funds won’t cover the length of coast that need to be protected from the waves,” Zulfa said.

He expressed hope that the Dumai municipality would approve the Rp 5 billion budget proposed by his agency for coastal maintenance this year, adding that the funds would be used to continue delayed projects and mangrove reforestation carried out over the past year.

“The budget approval very much determines the pace of mitigation efforts of coastal erosion that has threatened the lives of local people,” he said.

Zulfa said his agency had replanted 10,000 mangrove seedlings in a number of areas prone to coastal erosion, of which only 60 percent would survive, while the rest are expected to die or be swept away by waves.

“Only mature plants can survive the pace of erosion, that’s why we still need maintenance funds for the next several years to ensure the young plants continue to thrive.

“Young mangrove trees cannot mature naturally in current conditions as they could be swept away by waves.

“These young trees are also prone to forest clearing, so they must be tended to and supervised,” he said.

Nasir estimates that Teluk Makmur subdistrict would be washed away in the next 15 years without immediate action.

70 percent of mangrove forests in Pohuwato damaged

Antara News, Monday, March 22, 2010 14:55 WIB

Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - Some 70 percent of the total 25,688 hectares of mangrove forest in Pohuwato district, Gorontalo, were damaged, a source of the local community said.

"The opening of fish ponds in Pohuwato has contributed to the damage of mangrove forests in he area," Iwan Abbay, chairman of the local community concerned about the condition of the mangrove forests area, said here on Monday.

Iwan said Pohuwato district were used to own a large scale of mangrove area. In fact, Pohuwato was claimed as the biggest buffer zone for Tomini bay area which includes Gorontalo province and half part of North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi provinces respectively.

According to data from local managing board for river basins s (DAS) in 2007, of the total 25,688 hectares of mangrove forests in Pohuwato district, 14,017 hectares were heavily damaged and 7,546 hectares slightly damaged. Only 4,123 hectares of the mangrove forests are still on good condition.

Mangrove forests protect coastal areas against erosion, storms (hurricanes), and the tsunamis. The mangrove`s massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal waves so that sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles during low tide.

In this way, mangrove crops build their own environment. Because of the uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion that they provide, they are often the object of conservation programs including national Biodiversity Action Plans.

RI’s mangrove forests shrinks to 2 million ha

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/21/2010 11:31 PM

Indonesia’s mangrove forest area has shrunk from 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to 2 million hectares, according to an NGO.

People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara) said Sunday the expansion of brackish fishponds was the main cause of the dwindling mangroves.

Kiara’s secretary general M. Riza Damanik said the deforestation had tipped the environmental balance in coastal areas, especially the declining fish production and rapid abrasions due to high waves.

“The government sees mangrove simply as a commodity that benefits a few people. The mangrove issue has demonstrated the government’s lack of environmental concern.”

The Royal Society, a science academy in Britain, recently released a report about the rapid loss of mangroves all over the world.

In Thailand, each hectare of brackish fishpond yields only US$9,600 for the owner. But the Thai government has to shoulder $1,000 in pollution cost, $12,400 in the loss of ecological functions, $8,400 in subsidies for local community and $9,300 to restore the mangrove forest.

Kiara notes the recent aggressive expansion of oil palm plantations had also worsened the situation because in some areas, the project affects coasts. — JP

Selayar’s mangrove forest gone up in the air

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | Thu, 02/04/2010 11:14 AM

Sublime: The beachfront cottages at Selayar Islands Resort are a gateway to world-class diving and snorkeling sites. JP/David Metcalf

Mangrove deforestation in the Bua Bua Selayar delta area was protested by activists in Selayar Islands regency in South Sulawesi, who said the move would negatively impact the environment.

The protesters, affiliated with the Selayar Islands Environmental Awareness Community, aired their protest on Tuesday at the Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua Regions Environmental Management Center in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The delta, located in the middle of Selayar Islands regency capital Benteng, so far acts as a barrier to prevent abrasion, floods and heavy winds.

“The Bua Bua delta plays a very important role for Benteng city as a shield against coastal abrasion,” said resident Asrahiyah Abubakar.

“The area, which comprises 2 hectares of mangrove, also protects Benteng from floods, strong winds and prevents sea water intrusion into residents’ wells.”

Around two hectares of the mangrove forest has allegedly been felled by a businessman who bought the delta from a resident.

The land purchase was allegedly facilitated by the local officials and authorized by the Selayar’s National Land Agency office.

The mangrove deforestation was carried out early January using heavy machinery.

Apart from mature mangrove trees, around 1,000 mangrove seedlings had also been damaged.

Earlier, in March 2009, they had also logged the area to build an embankment.

The protesters questioned the legality of the ownership of the delta area, claiming the delta was part of land that had been reclaimed dozens of years ago.

The Selayar Islands regency administration had earlier designated the delta as an urban forest and conservation area back in 2009, and it aims for the area to serve as a natural laboratory in the future.

“We believe there has been corrupt practices in the land purchase because a person cannot own a delta area and river,” said one of the protesters, Sirul Haq Nawawi.

“Besides, the government has designated it as an urban forest.

“The deforestation has damaged the environment at a time when the world is making efforts to prevent the impacts of global warming.”

The delta is home to around 10 varieties of mangrove trees, one of them endemic.

Asrahiyah said a section of the mangrove swamp had been grown and was tended to by local residents, while the others have existed for years.

Residents have also turned the delta into a mangrove seedling area.

Some of the seedlings have been grown in Selayar and others have been sold to augment their income.

Selayar Islands regency is currently home to 291 hectares of mangrove forest, but the number is declining.

More than 320 hectares of mangrove in the area had been converted into fish farms.

When confirmed, Selayar Islands Vice Regent Nursiyah Aroepala said her office had unsuccessfully tried to stop the businessman from felling the mangrove trees.

She said that the logging acti-vities continued with the owner insisting on his legal ownership of the delta.

“We deeply regretted the logging. We had asked the owner to stop felling the mangrove trees because the delta area is a conservation area and [the move] would threaten people’s lives.”

She claimed she was not in the regency when the logging activities took place.

She said her office had instructed district and village heads as well as the National Land Agency to investigate the delta’s legal status and stop the logging activities.

Head of Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua Regions Environment Management Center, Ridwan D. Tamin, promised that his office would check the report on the field.

He said if the mangrove deforestation did happen, it has violated the 2009 Law on Environment protection and management and the 1999 Law on forestry.

If proven guilty, the violator might get up to 10 years imprisonment and Rp 1 billion (US$108.000) in fines.

Green activists protest mangrove forest logging

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi | Tue, 02/02/2010 6:58 PM

Dozens of green activists from Selayar Island in South Sulawesi rallied outside the provincial environmental agency on Tuesday to protest deforestation of a mangrove area in Delta Bua Bua.

Asrahiyah Abubakar of the Selayar Island Environmental Community said the logging activities could cause a natural disaster in the area.

“The mangrove forest has been guarding the city from abrasion, flood, and strong wind as well as sea intrusion to residents’ wells,” said Asrahiyah.

A businessman, Nasir Ali, has reportedly bought the two-hectare delta from previous owner Andi Raja and started to fell mangrove trees in March last year to clear the land for a dam construction project there. About 1,000 mangrove seedlings also vanished during the land clearing activities.

Waterbirds in mangrove forests under threat

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/01/2010 11:23 AM

The number of species and the populations of waterbirds in Muara Angke natural conservation area, North Jakarta, have decreased because of water pollution and human encroachment into the area, an environmental organization says.

During its annual survey on Saturday, volunteers of Jakarta Green Monster (JGM) found 206 waterbirds, down from 333 last year, with only 18 species identified, down from last year’s 23.

JGM reported that the missing species were the Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris), Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana), White-browed Crake (Porzanna cinerea), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and Black-naped Tern (Sterna sumatrana).

However, a very rare species, the Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and two endangered non waterbird species, Sunda Coucal (Centropus nigrorufus) and Black-winged Starling (Acridotheres melanopterus), were spotted on Saturday.

JGM has been studying the Waterbirds in the area each year since 2006, in recognition of World Wetland Day on Feb. 2, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971.

JGM volunteer Ady Kristianto said water pollution and human encroachment were the main causes of the decline in bird numbers. The darkened water in the area had been heavily polluted because of an accumulation of plastics and styrofoam from the Angke River, he said.

Liquid waste from nearby housing complexes and makeshift houses was also dumped there.

“Water pollution has slowed the growth of mangrove trees, which provide shelter to the birds, and has also caused a decline of fish stocks, the main food source for waterbirds. Some species are unable to adapt and had flown away to less polluted areas,” he said.

Human encroachment had disrupted the habitat, Ady said.

“As you can see there are hundreds of fishermen who inhabit the makeshift houses opposite the wetlands, and their numbers increase from year to year.”

Many fishermen were seen sailing past the wetlands area with motor boats on Saturday, causing the waterbirds to fly away.

Residents and squatters in the area had attempted to capture the birds, ranger Arifin said, adding that he often found and removed bird traps.

“They want to capture the birds for pets or to sell them.”

However, so far no one had been punished for such crimes, Arifin said.

Suyanto, an officer from the Jakarta Marine and Fishery Agency, said it was difficult to control the damage.

“It is hard to keep this area in an ideal condition. For example, you may say the water in here should be clean and that the surrounding residents must not dump their waste here, but, so many people continue to do so. How can we stop them?” (mrs)

70 pct of mangrove forests in Babel damaged

Antara News, Monday, January 4, 2010 10:47 WIB

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA News) - Around 70 percent of a total of 122,000 hectares of mangrove forests in Bangka Belitung (Babel) province were damaged by tin mining operations, a forest affairs official said.

"The damage on the mangrove forests is among others caused by mining activities in the coastal regions," head of the Babel Forestry Agency Sukandar said here Sunday.

According to him, the mangrove forest destruction can kill rabs and shrimps.

"Floods and abrasion could occur at any time due to damage to the mangrove forests, and the economy of the local fishermen will also be affected," he said.

The mangrove forest damage occurred in every district of the province that needs serious handling to restore and preserve the mangrove forests, he stated.

"We`ve planted 2,000 mangrove seedlings to restore the damaged mangrove forests, as the realization of the 100 working-day program in the forestry sector," he said, adding that his office will set up a team to minimize the mangrove forests damage caused by tin mining operations.

Rembang Beach Planted with Mangroves

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 30 December, 2009 | 16:49 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Rembang: Hundreds of students from the Nature Lovers Community of the School of Economic Science at YPPI Rembang and other students from Rembang district have planted mangroves on a beach situated in Dukuh Kaliuntu, Pasar Banggi village, Rembang Kota district.

”There are 5,000 mangrove seeds to restore the beach,” said Swantika, coordinator of the activity when contacted yesterday.

They plan to plant the 5 hectare beach with 10.000 mangrove trees. But due to difficulties in obtaining seeds, Swantika said, this year they can only plant 5,000. The students have been planting mangroves now for two years.

The 60 km long Rembang beach is considered to have suffered serious damage. Many areas are transformed into shrimp, milkfish or salt embankments.

There is no regulation to protect the area until now,” said the Head of the Rembang Environment Office Purwadi.

BANDELAN A

Moving toward marine based development

The Jakarta Post, Sukristijono Sukardjo, Jakarta | Thu, 12/24/2009 9:08 AM | Opinion

Few other nations should be more concerned about the ocean and oceanographic research than Indonesia. Being located in between two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian, the waters around 17,504 islands greatly influences the climate, economy and health of the people of this Republic.

The industrialization during late eighties brought in agriculture and financial services to reinforce an Indonesian economy entirely based up until then on forestry-cultivation and fun-filled beach-centered tourism. However, despite having a 2.7 million square kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ocean based economic activities contributing to the GNP of Indonesia have been unfortunately insignificant.

Considering the fact that Indonesia has one of the highest populations in the world with access to renewable and non-renewable resources, exploitation of oceanic resources will probably follow as the next phase of the nation’s industrial development. There is a great need for an integrated approach in scientific planning, formulation, implementation and overall management of ocean related activities in Indonesia.

The coastal zone is the prime frontier area to study, as it impacts the livelihood of 60 percent of Indonesians in one-way or another. Monitoring change in the 95,181 km shoreline is an important task for the concerned ministries and research institutions. A GIS-based mapping of the coastline using satellite, aerial photography and real-time ground-truthing is taken up to estimate coastal vulnerability against geological, climatological, biological, chemical and physical extremes.

There is a proposal to set-up a few time-series stations around some major islands and outer islands (e.g. Tual, Kai Kecil islands, etc.). Such marine research stations selected on strong scientific rationale would collect data on all possible oceanographic parameters at regular intervals over a stipulated period. Modeling such data would help develop strategies to effectively mitigate coastal problems.

The livelihoods of a large majority of the Indonesian people depend on fishing and the fisheries industry. Complete biomass evaluation and detailed maps of mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reef and fish stock are still insufficient, some not available.

Mangroves

To overcome this shortfall, efforts are now on to identify new fishing banks through bathymetric survey and satellite information. Construction of artificial reefs, mariculture and mangrove rehabilitation and/or restoration are encouraged.

Continuous monitoring of chlorophyll content, sea surface temperature and current pattern are studied to maximize the resource products. Setting up of an integrated coastal zone management framework involving impact assessment certification mechanism and an efficient hazard and crisis mitigation group are being actively considered.

A substantial part of the protein needs of Indonesia come from the sea through captured fisheries — 2,500 fish species have been identified and some of these of commercial value worldwide. A good demand for filleted and other value-added forms of fish should excite the fishing industry and home industry.

Biotechnology and sea ranching mechanism can ensure high food quality and add value to the product. Grounds for deep-water shrimp trawling and possibilities to develop technology for better fish preservation are now explored. The seafood technology arena, in particular, can create a lot of job opportunities. Extracts from marine organisms can also contribute a substantial part of the country’s drug needs.

Indonesia is insisting on well-equipped laboratories and trained human resources to capture the intellectual property rights and other commercial possibilities in the field of bio-prospecting. Indonesian marine invertebrate biotechnology products have a potential value of US$340-780 million per year, and would constitute 5 percent of the world’s total output.

As a fundamental measure, the vast EEZ and the Sunda and Sahul shelf need to be explored in detail to complete geological, chemical, biological and physical mapping. Understanding the submarine landslides, sea floor tectonics and its effect on stability of islands coastlines are of great significance.

Indonesia straddles the ring of fire, has vast continental shelves, and in consonance with Article 76 of the Unclos Convention, geological and geophysical data is necessary for demarcate extension of legal continental shelves. An intensive exploration to identify maritime resources within the EEZ for hydrocarbon potential, seamount cobalt rich crust and phosphorus, hydrothermal metal deposits of the mid-oceanic ridge and associated bioactive compounds is necessary.

Another area in which Indonesia is interested to harvest renewable energy from wind, waves, currents, tides, and from large temperature difference that exist in the water le-vels within a short distance from the shore. The Indian Ocean, stretching from east of Sumatera to south of Java going to West part of Indonesia holds great promise.

Indonesia is lucky to have the Wallace Line which runs from Lombok strait between Borneo and Sulawesi to the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, marking the boundary between the Asian and Australasian faunas of Laurasian and Gondwanan ancestry. Marine creatures (e.g. Coelacanth fish) and pelagic fish e.g. Spermonde islands, are phenomenal to science. Understanding the processes of generation of new oceanic crust at the Central Indian Ridge would be interesting to obtain fundamental information on mantle melt behavior and high-grade sulphide metal deposits.

A host of worms and colorful tubes amazingly occur at this extremely hot (>200o C) deep-sea environment. The genetic adaptations of these organisms biologically in the laboratory may prove commercially potential and academically significant. Studying various dimensions and dynamics of the Central Indian Ridge-Indian Oceans should prove rewarding e.g. the discovery of giant, deep-sea -volcano in the offshore Bengkulu. Oceans regulates climate by absorbing much of the atmospheric carbon.

Hence understanding the biogeochemical environment that controls and relates oceanic productivity and atmospheric composition can help climate prediction. Increased research on air-sea interaction processes and stimulation of ocean-atmosphere coupling would contribute substantially to enhance weather and climate prediction ability.

To this end, Indonesia is now integrated with an international campaign to understand the above delicate aspects. WOC2009 is the milestone of Indonesian contribution to ocean-climate change issues.

By deploying argo floats, data-buoys, tide gauges and sediment traps, Indonesia is poised to generate a wealth of information from her waters. It is proposed to study the Sunda and Sahul shelf and Wallace’s Line seas in detail as the oceanographic parameters of this area greatly influence the tropical climate, the two oceans: Pacific and Indian, and the resultant economy.

From social points also, Indonesian waters are expected to have a wealth of history submerged, myth and legendary. Scientific investigation to catalogue marine archaeological sites of Indonesian waters and trace maritime history through research may bring out unsung pages of culture and commerce in the past.

In order to make use of the ocean in a sustainable way, ministries and institutions in Indonesia should take much interest on the issue, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the address on the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit 2009. Dewan Kelautan Indonesia (The Indonesian Maritime Council), as a national coordination committee in ocean sciences is being set up by presidential decree for this purpose. Being a responsible contributor to global ocean research campaigns (e.g. Manado Ocean Declaration 2009), Indonesia is on the cusp of qualifying as a hub of marine research activities in the Indonesia waters, between Indian and Pacific oceans.

It is believed that only through visible, rational and responsible marine scientific activities; Indonesia can take advantage of her enormous geographical and strategic potential. If approached judiciously, oceanic activities could become a pillar of Indonesia economy in near future, following the success of Japan, Australia, South Korea, Maldives, and Mauritius that use ocean life to fuel their economy.

The writer is a Professor of Mangrove Ecology at the Center for Oceanological Research and Development, Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI).

Related Article:

Download WOC 2009 report: "Protecting the World's From Vision to Action" (PDF)

Bali's Mangroves are Best in Asia: Official

The Jakarta Globe

Balinese students planting mangroves in Denpasar in 2007.
(Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka, AFP)

Denpasar. The island of Bali is not only Indonesia’s best international tourism destination but is also home to Asia’s best mangrove forests, a local forestry official said on Friday.

“As the best in Asia, the lush mangrove forests have become the destination for comparative studies by experts from various countries,” said Anak Agung Ngurah Buana, who heads the Bali Forestry Office.

He said Bali was home to 1,346 hectares of mangrove forest, all managed under the Ngurah Rai Forest Park, and that visiting experts had come from countries such as Japan, Germany, the Philippines, Italy and the United States to study the forest as a model for similar developments.

Buana said that the Suwung mangrove forest in South Bali had been a model in mangrove management as a result of an agreement between the Ministry of Forestry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

He said the project, which started in 1993, was considered to have been fairly successful in cultivating and preserving a number of mangrove variants, some producing substances that may be developed into medicines.

Footpaths connect one part of the forest to another, making it a favorite tourist destination for local and international visitors.

Local communities often fish for recreation in the forest, which stretches along the coast from Benoa Harbor to the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban.

The forest is managed by 42 workers, half of them technical staff from the Mangrove Management Agency and two experts from Japan.

Buana said that the forest saw a continuous planting of new seedlings and a constant maintenance program in the hope that it would act as “lungs” for the city of Denpasar.

Antara

Jakarta Bay Cleaned as City Commemorates World Fisheries Day

The Jakarta Globe

Students planting mangrove seedlings along the Jakarta Bay shoreline on Saturday. Nine million mangroves are scheduled to be planted over the next several months in an effort to protect coastal communities from rising seas and increasingly stronger tropical storms. (Reuters Photo)

In order to help save Jakarta Bay from environmental devastation, some 400 fishermen from the North Jakarta Fishermen’s Community Forum cleaned garbage from the waterway on Saturday in commemoration of World Fisheries Day.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said at the event, held at Festival Beach, Ancol, North Jakarta, that the pollution in Jakarta Bay had reached a critical level. He invited everyone to join together to help save the bay for the future.

“More people can feel a sense of belonging toward Jakarta Bay by preserving the environment. Jakarta Bay is not only an asset for the Jakarta government and Ancol, it belongs to every stakeholder, it belongs to every Jakartan,” said Fauzi.

The governor added that if people really wanted to save and preserve the environment, they should work together to save the bay, rather than just talking about it.

“We know the pollution of Jakarta Bay comes not only from the land — as there are many rivers flowing into Jakarta Bay — but also from the sea. Many boats and ships dump their trash [overboard] and pollute the bay, the monitoring is in the hands of all people,” he said.

Everyone, Fauzi said, should be actively involved in the preservation of the bay for its marine tourism potential.

“Let’s save Jakarta Bay together. Because it has the potential to support fishermen as well as Jakarta’s economy,” said the Governor, as he stood alongside North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono.

Meanwhile, about 500 cyclists participated in a “Fun Bike” ride from the National Monument to Ancol, to mark the occasion.

Other activities are scheduled over the next few months to promote the importance of saving Jakarta’s marine environment, including the planting of 9 million mangrove trees at North Jakarta’s Angke Kapuk Restoration Area and the cleanup and improvement of the coral reef at Pramuka Island in the Thousand Islands by hundreds of professional divers.

Jakarta Bay suffers from heavy pollution that threatens the sustainability of mangrove forests and coral reefs.

The dramatic decrease in fish and other marine life threatens the livelihoods of fishermen as many residents continue to dump household and industrial waste into sewers, canals and rivers that eventually flow into the bay.

Antara

Related Article:

Jakarta Bay pollution reaches critical level: Governor

S Sumatra`s mangrove forests in critical conditions :official

Antara News, Monday, November 2, 2009 17:51 WIB

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said.

To stop a further deterioration of the mangrove forests, the South Sumatra marine resources and fisheries office was planning to plant 125,000 mangrove seedlings along the coasts of Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts, the office`s head, Lukman Nur Hakim, said here on Monday.

A small team consisting local residents would later be formed to continuously watch over the newly planted mangrove seedlings, he said.

But Lukman admitted the 125,000 mangrove seedlings would not be enough to restore the degraded mangrove forests to their original conditions. Therefore, his office was also planning to do the mangrove replanting along South Sumatra province`s coasts every year and thus gradually increase the number of new mangrove trees.

Lukman said mangroves played an important role in preserving the existence of marine biota and preventing soil abrasion. Mangroves could also help clean the air and reduce the effects of global warming.

In order to maintain the marine environment, Lukman added, his office was continuously monitoring the existence of coral reefs along coastal areas in Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts.

Five spots in the two districts had also been designated as places to cultivate new coral reefs, Lukman said.

According to the official NACA (an inter-governmental organisation promoting rural development through sustainable aquaculture) website www.enaca.org, close to half of mangrove coverage occurs in five countries, i.e. Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico with the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia located in Indonesia.

In general, the mangroves of Southeast Asia were the best developed and most diverse in terms of plants and animals. Fifty two out of the 268 plant species that have been recorded from these mangrove areas are true mangrove species or those that are found only in mangrove habitats while the others are mangrove associated species that are also encountered in non-mangrove habitats.

Eighteen species of mangrove plants are endemic to the south east Asian region and eight out of them are true mangroves.

Current member of NACA are Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.