Dwindling mangrove forests

President Soeharto has warned that any further plans to exploit our mangrove forests needs to be thoroughly considered because many of our mangrove forests have already disappeared as a result of uncontrolled development of coastal areas. The President further called on the community and the government to work together towards rehabilitating those damaged mangrove forests as soon as possible.

The problem is indeed of real concern to us because it affects many of our provinces. Of the 12.9 million hectares of mangrove forests that existed a few decades ago only about 3.1 million hectares are now left. Experts meanwhile say that mangrove forests are of vital importance to coastal ecosystems. Apart from constituting a valuable resource they also function to protect the ecosystems that lie farther inland, for instance by preventing abrasion of the coastlines. In addition they play an important role as protected spawning and breeding grounds for fish and shrimps.

More substantial efforts to protect our mangrove forests must be made by local administrations in areas with coastal towns and cities.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta