Timbulsloko village in Sayung sub-district, Demak regency, has been\nchosen as a pilot site for coastal protection along Java\u2019s northern\ncoast. The approach, known as a Nature-based Solution (NbS), combines\nmangrove restoration with modular HexBRIck breakwaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe planted mangroves this morning, and this is certainly part of a\nNature-based Solution,\u201d Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, head of the North Java\nCoast Management Authority (BOPPJ), told reporters at Timbulsloko Beach\non Monday (19 October 2026).<\/p>\n
The programme began with a symbolic mangrove-planting event at the\nbeach on Monday morning. Didit then opened a discussion with local\nresidents about the programme.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development\nAgus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), deputy head of the National Peatland and\nMangrove Management Agency (BPGMN) Sriyanto Muntasram, and Central Java\nGovernor Ahmad Luthfi also attended.<\/p>\n
Didit said that coastal management along Java\u2019s northern coast would\nnot rely solely on concrete and heavy machinery. He also stressed the\nimportance of ensuring that the project\u2019s development is aligned with\nlocal natural conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding the giant sea wall does not mean using heavy machinery\nsimply to construct concrete structures or sand embankments. The work\nmust also take a hybrid approach, integrating the project with the\nnatural conditions of each area,\u201d Didit said.<\/p>\n
The BOPPJ plans to manage and develop 15 coastal segments from Serang\nto Gresik, using a hybrid approach that includes mangrove breakwaters,\ncoastal embankments and sea walls.<\/p>\n
The NbS pilot in Timbulsloko combines mangrove restoration with\nmodular HexBRIck breakwaters, an innovation developed by the National\nResearch and Innovation Agency (BRIN). However, the same combination\nwill not necessarily be used across all areas of the northern coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the conditions, this morning we are establishing a\ndemonstration plot to assess the natural conditions in Central Java,\nparticularly in segment 12 in Timbulsloko, Sayung, Demak,\u201d Didit\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that nearby affected areas and places with similar\ncharacteristics can receive the same intervention. Other locations may\nnot use this approach because each area has different characteristics.\nWe need to study that together,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Didit said the coastal protection plan had been discussed with local\ncommunities. He assured residents that the programme would not disrupt\nthe work of fishers and fish farmers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will not close off all the areas used to support people\u2019s\nlivelihoods and economic activity, whether at sea or in the fish farms,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Timbulsloko was selected as an NbS demonstration site because the\naverage rate of coastal erosion there is 279 metres a year, reportedly\nthe highest along Java\u2019s northern coast.<\/p>\n
The extreme erosion has destroyed thousands of hectares of fish\nfarms, settlements and mangrove forest, and submerged several villages\nin Sayung. The threat has been compounded by land subsidence of 10\u201320\ncentimetres a year in parts of the sub-district.<\/p>\n
Without intervention, cumulative subsidence in the worst-affected\nareas could exceed one metre over 15\u201320 years. Tidal flooding and river\nflooding also frequently occur at the same time, worsening environmental\nconditions and threatening local communities\u2019 living space.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development AHY\nsaid combining hard infrastructure with natural measures was one\nsolution to the problem. He cited mangrove planting as a way to reduce\nerosion.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Prabowo Subianto\u2019s vision and priorities include building\na giant sea wall, understood as a hybrid approach combining hard\ninfrastructure, in the form of coastal embankments and sea walls, with\nnatural solutions,\u201d AHY said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have just planted mangroves together. They are intended to reduce\nthe energy of sea waves, helping to lessen severe coastal erosion,\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/timbulsloko-in-demak-chosen-as-pilot-site-for-north-java-coast-protection-programme-1792403487", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }