JP\/20\/MUKARIM<\/p>\n
Adopting a pragmatic approach to the environment<\/p>\n
Mangroves and a pragmatic fisherman<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Pasuruan<\/p>\n
Earning some Rp 100,000 a day, fisherman Mukarim from Panunggal
\nvillage, Pasuruan regency, East Java province, never expected to
\nreceive the Kalpataru.<\/p>\n
The award, for achievement in the environmental field, was
\nbestowed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier this month
\nin recognition of Mukarim's efforts to create a 57-hectare
\nmangrove forest along a six-kilometer stretch of coastline, from
\nKetapang village, Probolinggo, to Klaten village, Pasuruan.<\/p>\n
Mukarim and his family started to create the forest in 1986 --
\noriginally to protect fishermen's homes in the village against
\nhigh tides.<\/p>\n
"It was never in the least my intention to seek fame. I simply
\ntried to ensure that my house would not be submerged by seawater
\nwhen there were high tides," he told The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
Prior to the existence of the mangrove forest, fishermen in
\nMukarim's village, which is only two km away from the coast, were
\nalways threatened by unpredictable high tides. They not only
\ndestroyed a number of houses in the village but also damaged
\nseveral village facilities such as latrines and fishermen's
\nwarehouses. To escape the tides, many locals moved away.<\/p>\n
Not to be outdone, Mukarim took the initiative to grow
\nmangroves along the coast. At first, the locals largely ignored
\nwhat Mukarim and his four children were doing.<\/p>\n
They thought all the effort would be fruitless because high
\ntides are a natural phenomenon, a risk that fishermen living
\nadjacent to the coast must be prepared to accept. Besides,
\nMukarim's colleagues were too busy fishing at sea to plant
\nthousands of mangrove trees.<\/p>\n
Eventually, however, Mukarim managed to convince his
\ncolleagues of the importance of a mangrove forest to the village.
\nIn 1989, Sumber Rejeki, a fishermen's cooperative, was set up to
\nhelp Mukarim create the forest.<\/p>\n
Financing the mangrove planting drive by themselves, the
\nvillagers, mobilized and motivated by Sumber Rejeki, eventually
\nsucceeded in planting mangrove trees to form a thick belt along a
\nsubstantial stretch of coast.<\/p>\n
Mukarim and his fellow villagers can now enjoy the benefit
\nthat the mangrove forest provides. High tides no longer damage
\nvillagers homes, as the forest obstructs the passage of water
\ninland. Locals have also boosted their earnings by collecting
\noysters, many of which have adopted the mangrove as their
\nhabitat. They can fetch Rp 10,000 per kilogram at market.<\/p>\n
His success in organizing fellow villagers to grow mangrove
\ntrees earned Mukarim his award in the environmental pioneers
\ncategory.<\/p>\n
Since becoming a Kalpataru laureate, Mukarim has been enjoying
\nmore than the 15 minutes of fame dished out to mere mortals. When
\nhe took The Jakarta Post to see the mangrove forest, locals
\ncheered every time they saw him; Mukarim, modestly, told them he
\nwas showing a journalist the forest.<\/p>\n
His cellular phone rings constantly, as many of his distant
\nrelatives call him to congratulate him on the award. Furthermore,
\nhe has received many requests for interviews from the print and
\nelectronic media.<\/p>\n
"After this interview, I will give an interview to Radio 68H
\nJakarta via a long-distance phone call. Then, later in the
\nafternoon, I shall go to the Pasuruan office of the Agency for
\nControl of Environmental Impact," he said, showing the Post a new
\ncell phone that he had received from an official of the regional
\nadministration a day before he left for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Mukarim likes his cell phone as much as he loves his fishing
\nnet and boat, although at first he found it rather awkward to
\nuse.<\/p>\n
Apart from winning the award, Mukarim also received a gift of
\nRp 5 million in cash from the Office of the State Minister of the
\nEnvironment, as well as an outfit and footwear from the regional
\nadministration. He has already donated some of the cash for the
\nconstruction of a mosque.<\/p>\n
Despite his new-found fame, Mukarim remains a modest fishermen
\nwith a lifestyle to match. While on his old, trusty motorcycle, a
\nvehicle he rides to check his mangrove trees every morning, he
\ntold the Post how disconcerted he was when he stayed at the
\nRedTop, Central Jakarta -- the first time had ever been in a
\nswanky hotel.<\/p>\n
He said he spent what seemed like hours in a lift until --
\nfortunately -- someone took him to the room where he was supposed
\nto be.<\/p>\n
Also, when he was invited to lunch at the State Place with
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the impressive array of food
\nconfused him. He chose only soybean cake and soybean curd, which
\nwere meant to be side dishes. Luckily, a member of the
\npresidential guard gave him some other food.<\/p>\n
These days, Mukarim does not fish much because he receives so
\nmany speaking invitations. He has met East Java Governor Imam
\nUtomo and attended seminars organized by the regional
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
"It's nicer, though, to eat with fishermen, you know. If you
\nhave a meal with the President, you can't really enjoy it as
\nyou're too scared of making a faux pas," he observed, wryly.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp20mukarim-1447899208",
"image": ""
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