Government Strengthens Youth Role Through Mangrove Goes To School Initiative
The government continues to strengthen the role of young people in building Indonesia’s coastal resilience through the Mangrove Goes To School (MGTS) programme, which targets university students and secondary school pupils.
The programme forms part of a public communication and environmental education strategy aimed at fostering awareness, concern, and leadership among young people as frontline agents of sustainable mangrove rehabilitation.
Nikolas Nugroho Surjobasuindro, Director of Mangrove Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Forestry, stated that young people play a key role in maintaining the sustainability of Indonesia’s coastal ecosystems.
“Mangrove rehabilitation requires intergenerational sustainability. Through Mangrove Goes To School, we are preparing young people who not only understand the importance of mangroves, but also possess the leadership, concern, and courage to engage directly as agents of change,” Nikolas said in Jakarta on Saturday.
The activities are being carried out at several universities, including Universitas Gadjah Mada, IPB University, Universitas Jambi, Universitas Udayana, Universitas Riau, and Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji, which were selected for their proximity to coastal areas and priority watersheds as well as their strategic role in developing environmental knowledge and action. The programme also reaches four secondary schools in coastal areas to instil environmental awareness from school age onwards.
The MGTS programme activities comprise public lectures, interactive forums, thematic discussions, and field practice sharing sessions. Through these activities, participants gain comprehensive understanding of the role of mangroves as natural coastal barriers, blue carbon sinks, protectors of biodiversity, and economic drivers for coastal communities.
Beyond simply increasing knowledge, MGTS also encourages concrete action. To date, the programme has sparked student enthusiasm and momentum in developing mangrove rehabilitation activities such as student research proposals, social media-based environmental campaigns, the formation of mangrove advocacy communities on campuses and in schools, and student participation in mangrove rehabilitation activities in their respective regions.