Save mangrove forests: Official
Save mangrove forests: Official
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Forestry and Plantations has
called on the private sector to help protect mangrove forests in
the Muara Angke reserves in North Jakarta.
Besides providing a natural habitat for marine biota, shrimps,
fish and crustaceans, mangrove trees are essential for the
protection of coastlines against sea erosion, Secretary-general
Sudarsono said during a ceremony which marked the planting of 500
mangrove trees in Muara Angke on Saturday.
"We can't replace mangroves with other trees because it is the
only plant suitable for the coastal area," Sudarsono said.
The replanting program was sponsored by General Electric
Indonesia in cooperation with the Jakarta-based Biological
Science Club (BScC) and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency
of the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations.
Sudarsono said he hoped other parties would join similar
programs in the future.
The Muara Angke mangrove forests have been under serious
threat with a great deal of domestic and industrial waste
discharged into Jakarta's rivers finding its way to the area. The
putrid odor from the water in the area is testimony to the sad
condition of Muara Angke.
"We urge Jakarta residents, especially factory owners, not to
discharge their waste before it is treated," Sudarsono said.
Indonesia's mangrove forests have dwindled to less than two
million hectares from 4.25 million in 1982, causing more abrasion
and danger to biota living in the area, he said.
Many of these forests have given way to housing and industrial
areas, or for shrimp and fish cultivation. Some were arbitrarily
slashed by people for firewood, he said.
General Electric Indonesia is not the first to launch a
campaign to save the Muara Angke mangrove forests.
Trees planted in one campaign, involving several universities
in Jakarta in October, seemed to be growing well, Iwan
Krishnamurti of the Biological Science Club (BScC) said.
For a city of 8.4 million people, Jakarta's forestry area only
covers about 7 percent of its 661.62 square kilometers of total
area. All the forests, including protected forests, wildlife
reserves and national parks, are located in North Jakarta.
The Muara Angke reserve, located in the Angke River's estuary,
covers a total of 25.35 hectares of land. It is administratively
part of Kapuk Muara, Penjaringan district, in North Jakarta.
The reserve shares borders with Pantai Indah Kapuk housing
complex in the south and the west; the Angke river in the east;
and the Angke Kapuk protected forest in the north.
Iwan said that ideally, mangrove trees should cover 75 percent
of the total reserve area, compared to less than 50 percent at
present.
A mangrove tree takes approximately five years to grow, while
replanting has an average success rate of 75 percent, he said.
(04)