Mangrove Education Initiative Mobilises Young Generation as Coastal Resilience Guard

The Directorate of Mangrove Rehabilitation is strengthening efforts to build coastal area resilience through youth involvement via the Mangrove Goes To School (MGTS) programme. This educational initiative is designed as a public communication strategy to foster environmental awareness whilst encouraging active participation of students and university students in sustainable mangrove rehabilitation.

Over four months of implementation, MGTS has engaged more than 2,000 participants from university students and senior high school students across nine provinces. Activities have been conducted at several universities including Universitas Gadjah Mada, IPB University, Universitas Jambi, Universitas Udayana, Universitas Riau, and Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji, all of which are located near coastal areas and priority river basin regions. The programme also targets senior high schools in coastal areas to instil environmental care from an early age.

MGTS activities include public lectures, interactive discussions, and field practice sessions. Through this approach, participants gain understanding of mangrove functions as natural coastal protectors, carbon sinks, guardians of biodiversity, and pillars of coastal community economies.

The programme focuses not only on knowledge enhancement but also on concrete action. Various initiatives have emerged from participants, ranging from research proposal development, environmentally-focused social media campaigns, formation of mangrove-caring communities on campuses and in schools, to direct involvement in mangrove rehabilitation activities.

Nikolas Nugroho Surjobasuindro, Director of Mangrove Rehabilitation, emphasised the importance of youth participation in sustaining coastal ecosystems. “Mangrove rehabilitation requires cross-generational sustainability. Through Mangrove Goes To School, we are preparing a young generation that not only understands the importance of mangrove, but also possesses leadership, care, and courage to directly participate as agents of change,” he stated.

Going forward, the MGTS programme is targeted for expansion to at least 10 universities and schools in coastal and priority watershed areas by mid-year. This expansion will be strengthened through support from the Mangrove for Coastal Resilience (M4CR) project and collaboration with local governments and communities.

Through this approach, the Directorate of Mangrove Rehabilitation emphasises that investment in young people represents a strategic step to ensure mangrove sustainability whilst strengthening the resilience of Indonesia’s coastal regions.