Government Forges International Cooperation for Mangrove Rehabilitation

The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Forestry, is forging international cooperation to manage and rehabilitate mangrove forests. Director of Mangrove Rehabilitation at the Directorate General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation, Nikolas Nugroho Surjobasuindro, stated that this cooperation is pursued because the government recognises its limitations in mangrove management. “Mangrove management certainly requires substantial funding. Therefore, we are establishing cooperation with various international institutions or other countries to invest or contribute to mangrove management in Indonesia,” he said in Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan Province, on Thursday. One programme being implemented by the ministry is Forest Programme (FP) VI, a long-standing bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Germany that facilitates conservation, restoration, and pilot mangrove management to support mangrove sustainability in Indonesia. Germany’s KfW has provided significant assistance to Indonesia, from FP I to the current FP VI, with FP VII planned for the future in different fields. “Specifically for mangroves, this is facilitated and accommodated in FP VI, with activities targeting locations in four provinces, one of which is North Kalimantan Province,” he explained. Therefore, the Ministry of Forestry hopes that support from FP VI will aid the recovery of mangrove ecosystems in Indonesia.