City's mangrove planting fails

JAKARTA: The city program to replant mangrove forest in Marunda, North Jakarta has hit a serious snag in the form of residents' unawareness of the benefits.

"Some local residents even uproot the mangrove trees as they think the trees disturb their fish farming businesses," Supardiyo, the head of the North Jakarta Environmental Management Agency, was quoted as saying by Tempointeraktif.com.

In Marunda Pulo alone, Supardiyo said, the Jakarta Agriculture and Forestry Agency had planted about 5,000 mangrove trees along the coastline.

However, only a few trees are still standing.

Mangrove forests along the coast play an important role in curbing seawater intrusion into groundwater. --JP