Mangrove forest in danger

Mangrove forest in danger

TUAL, Maluku: Dozens of hectares of mangrove forest in West Southeast Maluku would soon be lost to illegal logging, local officials said on Monday.

Head of the local development planning office, Ali Wafie Rahayan said illegal loggers must be stopped from carrying out their activities through traditional and religious approaches.

He said the conventional measures taken by the government had proven ineffective in stopping illegal logging in the subdistricts of Kei Kecil and Aru as laws were not enforced.

Loggers usually use mangrove trees for their temporary accommodation shelters or for firewood.

Southeast Maluku has at least 40,200 hectares of mangrove forest off the small Aru and Kei Kecil islands. The continued logging has helped drastically reduce the income of local fishermen. --Antara