Ministry of Forestry Collaborates to Develop Mangrove Ecotourism in Penajam Regency
Penajam Paser Utara - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) is collaborating with the Penajam Paser Utara Regency Government in East Kalimantan to develop the Kampung Baru Mangrove Ecotourism area in Penajam District on a sustainable basis.
The selection of Penajam Paser Utara Regency was due to its significant potential for developing forest-based mangrove tourism, stated Muhammad Zainal Arifin, Secretary of the Directorate General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation (Setditjen PDASRH) at the Ministry of Forestry, during a visit to the mangrove ecotourism site in Penajam on Thursday.
The collaboration for developing the Kampung Baru Mangrove Ecotourism area, he continued, includes assisting tourism awareness groups (pokdarwis) to manage and develop the mangrove ecotourism sustainably.
The Kampung Baru Mangrove Ecotourism site in Penajam District, Penajam Paser Utara Regency, covers an area of approximately 60 hectares and is focused as a conservation zone as well as educational tourism, with facilities including a 677.8-metre boardwalk.
It is hoped that the development of the Kampung Baru Mangrove Ecotourism area can serve as an example for other regions in Indonesia.
The collaboration is carried out as support for the mangrove rehabilitation programme in the Nusantara Capital (IKN) area, he explained, with Penajam Paser Utara Regency being a buffer region with direct connectivity to Indonesia’s new capital.
The Ministry of Forestry is focusing on physical development, increasing public awareness of the importance of preserving the mangrove ecosystem.
It is also encouraging funding support to help tourism awareness groups build supporting facilities, according to Zainal Arifin, so that the area can develop into a flagship destination.
The regency government is maintaining and developing the mangrove ecosystem potential as one of the region’s important assets from both environmental and tourism perspectives, added the Regent of Penajam Paser Utara.
The mangrove ecosystem plays a strategic role in maintaining coastal environmental balance while opening economic opportunities for the community through ecotourism development.
The Penajam Paser Utara Regency Government continues to encourage the formation and strengthening of pokdarwis in various areas within the regency, stated Muhammad Mudyat Noor.