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