Selvi Gibran Marks National Children's Day with Marine Conservation in Bintan

The wife of Indonesian Vice President Selvi Gibran Rakabuming, together with the Solidarity of Women for Indonesia (SERUNI) of the Red and White Cabinet, commemorated National Children’s Day 2026 by conducting marine conservation activities in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands. “Through marine conservation activities, the hope is that Indonesian children will increasingly safeguard the sustainability of the maritime environment in their respective regions,” said Selvi at the event site at Dugong Beach, Trikora, Bintan, on Thursday. The series of activities began with coral transplantation as an effort to rehabilitate coral reef areas damaged by human activity and climate change. The transplantation was carried out using the Spider Web method, placing coral seed fragments on a transplantation framework which was then lowered to the seabed at a depth of approximately five metres. The coral species planted belonged to the Acropora and Pocillopora genera. This was followed by seagrass planting as part of coastal ecosystem restoration. Seagrass plays a vital role as a habitat and food source for various marine biota, filters water, prevents coastal abrasion, and absorbs blue carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation. “I entrust this to you. Thank you for caring for our seas,” said Selvi during a symbolic handover to the Ksatria Lamun Community, which participated in the activity. The group also released hawksbill turtle hatchlings into their natural habitat, aiming to increase the turtles’ survival rate in the wild and maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. In addition to conservation actions, Selvi Gibran symbolically handed over various forms of assistance to the community and educational institutions in Bintan, including one floating net cage unit to the Marine Agri Sejahtera Cooperative, 3,000 white snapper fingerlings to the Tanjung Darat Mandiri Fish Farmers Group, and 20 sets of fish traps to the Bawal Putih Fishermen’s Group. Furthermore, six Starlink internet units were provided to SDN 004 Bintan, SDN 008 Bintan, SMPN 20 Bintan, SDN 005 Teluk Sebong, SMPN 22 Mapur, and SDN 009 Teluk Sebong to support equitable internet access and digital learning. “Hopefully, the assistance distributed can strengthen the fisheries sector, improve the welfare of coastal communities, and support the improvement of education quality in Bintan,” Selvi concluded.