Managing East Aceh's mangroves a dificult task
Managing East Aceh's mangroves a dificult task
LANGSA, Aceh (JP): It's never easy to manage natural
resources; balancing people's needs and the goals of
conservation.
For the local administration of East Aceh, the question is how
to keep what's left of the regency's 75,000 hectares of mangrove
forests intact without taking away the only livelihood of the
people living in the area.
Mangrove forests grow along 165 kilometers of East Aceh's
tidal zone which borders the Strait of Malacca and North Sumatra.
Mangrove forests prevent coastal abrasion and saltwater
intrusion while protecting coastal seas from land pollution and
high winds. They are also the ideal sheltering place for various
types of fish.
In East Aceh, however, the forests are now threatened by
thousands of kilns that use mangrove wood to produce export-
quality coal, and large coastal fish ponds, which are made by
clear-cutting mangrove forests.
Jaswin Polim, the head of the local forestry office, admitted
in a recent interview that data on the rate of mangrove depletion
and the number of coal kilns and fish ponds in the area was
deficient.
The only certain information, he said, was that the fish ponds
and wood-cutting activities have so far depleted mangrove forests
by 27,000 hectares.
He later hinted that something other than the issue of
conservation and people's welfare made his office uncertain about
how to solve the problem.
"There is a government regulation which actually prohibits
people from cutting mangrove wood for coal... But the local
administration imposes a fee on the coal produced by the kilns --
which means the practice is considered legal," he said.
Jaswin said there have been numerous efforts to close down the
kilns, but little progress has been made.
"The reality is that the people have been told to stop, but
they won't. It's a culture they have had for hundreds of years,"
he said.
Despite the seemingly solid bond between the local people and
the coal business, Jaswin pointed out that the kilns, and the
favorable prices mangrove coal on the world market, have never
increased the locals' standard of living to a decent level.
"The people have never escaped poverty," he said.
The construction of the kilns, he said, are financed by rich
city people -- known as tauke -- who also pay the locals to cut
wood and operate the kilns.
"I have heard that there is actually an association of owners
of coal kilns. This means their actions are recognized and
supported by the local administration," Jaswin said.
But the forestry official refused to elaborate further,
insisting it was "not in his jurisdiction".
To solve the problem without touching on the "sensitive issue"
disclosed by Jaswin, the local administration and the Ministry of
Forestry's subsidiary, PT Inhutani IV, have resolved to start an
integrated pond-mangrove project in Tanjung Keramat village, near
the Telaga Muku river.
Project
Jaswin said the project will allow the people to continue
using mangroves for their livelihood, without the worry that the
forests will be wiped out completely.
Endro Siswoko, the manager of state-owned PT Inhutani IV's
East Aceh sub-unit, explained that the "silvo-fishery" project
aims to provide the locals with fishpond techniques that make use
of mangrove trees.
In the long run, he said, it is expected to show that clear-
cutting mangrove forests causes more disadvantages than benefits.
Endro pointed out that locals now have to travel three to four
hours in small motor boats and search deep into the forests to
find the right sized mangrove trees for the coal kilns.
"Mangroves lining the outer side of the forests, which can be
seen from the river, are small and are only good for firewood,"
he said.
Furthermore, he added, coastal fishponds have also become
unproductive because the trees are rapidly disappearing.
Inhutani is also replanting and "patching up" gaps in the
depleted mangrove forests under an assignment from the Ministry
of Forestry.
The assignment involves rehabilitating 12,400 hectares of
mangrove forests which had once been part of concessionaires
owned by PT Bakau Selat Malaka and PT Kabindo.
The two private firms failed to manage the forests in an
environmentally-sustainable manner, causing the revocation of
their concessions in 1992. Inhutani took over in 1993.
Endro said that in 1994/1995 Inhutani replanted and patched
100 hectares of mangrove forests.
He said that in both 1995/1996 and 1996/1997, Inhutani aims to
replant 500 hectares. The project includes mangrove species
Rhizophora apiculata, Bruguiera parviflora and Ceriops tagal.
Endro said the rehabilitation project, which involves sowing
mangrove seeds, employs 100 villagers and gives them an
additional income of Rp 5,000 (US$2.20) a day.
He was reluctant to comment on the coal kilns, insisting that
Inhutani's mission was only to provide the local people with an
alternative livelihood.
"That is the local administration's business. What Inhutani is
concerned about is the conservation of the forests and ensuring
the project benefits the people," he said. (pwn)