Environmentalists striving to conserve nature
Environmentalists striving to conserve nature
Earlier in October, dozens of environmentalists from Jakarta
carried out nature conservation activities at Muara Angke animal
reserve.
Still young on average, they rehabilitated the area by
planting mangrove trees in conjunction with the 24th anniversary
of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WAHLI), one of
Indonesia's largest environmental organizations.
About 500 mangrove trees of the pidada species were planted
that morning. Participating in the activity were about 70 people
who comprised Friends of WALHI, WALHI staff members and
representatives of various environmental organizations.
Organized under the theme Conserving the Mangrove, Saving
Jakarta, the planting activity was coupled with a light
discussion and a presentation on how to plant mangrove trees by
representatives of the Institute of Mangrove Research and
Development's (IMReD) Bogor chapter.
Program coordinator Andi Armansyah said that the event was
very important to WALHI, and those concerned about the
environment, as it went beyond merely backing environmental
policies on paper.
"Muara Angke animal reserve was chosen as the site for this
activity as it is close to Jakarta," said Andi, who works under
the administrative and education division of WALHI's executive
board.
Fadma (24), a member of Friends of WALHI, said that the
program was timely as the condition of the reserve was
deteriorating.
"We must conserve the reserve, not only by planting mangrove
trees but also by regularly removing waste and garbage from the
area," said Fadma, a final-year student at the school of
environmental engineering, Sahid University, Jakarta.
He said he had seen a lot of plastic garbage in the area,
which would take a long time to decompose.
Several factors had to be taken into account before and after
the mangrove trees were planted, according to Fadma.
First, the land needed to be cleared of underbrush. Then,
1.5m-long wooden poles were erected in the mud, to which the
mangrove seedlings were tied. The seedlings must be planted at
least one meter apart.
Mangrove planting is different from planting other trees. When
you plant a tree in the ground, the seedling wrapper must first
be removed.
When you plant a mangrove seedling, some holes are made in the
bag but it is not removed until eight to 12 months later, said
Bayu Catur Nurcahya, who has often been hired as a technical
consultant for mangrove planting at Muara Angke.
Given this planting process, the rehabilitation of mangrove
trees has become quite costly as they require a controlled
environment and underbrush must be cleared regularly.
Bayu said Maura Angke was a good place to grow pidada, as the
soil was suitable. The pidada mangrove produces seeds between the
ages of two and four. Its fruit is popular among long-tailed
monkeys in the area.
Besides, Bayu added, a thicket of mangrove trees makes a great
shelter for birds. --JP