Sepatin Fish Farmers Encouraged to Plant Mangroves to Restore Pond Productivity

Kutai Kartanegara (ANTARA) - The Gemilang Sejahtera Abadi Forest Farmer Group (KTH) is inviting fish farmers in Sepatin Village, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan, to replant mangroves in an effort to restore pond productivity, which has steadily declined compared to the era of the 1990s when the coastal area was dominated by mangrove forests.

Asharudin, the Chairman of KTH Gemilang Sejahtera Abadi, stated that he has personally experienced the changes in pond yields over recent decades. According to him, the continuous decline in productivity has prompted his group to encourage farmers to trial mangrove replanting once again.

“Please, let us trial replanting so that we can return to the original forest. In the 1990s, the yields were quite good. Why has it declined from 2020 onwards?” said Asharudin during a media meeting with the coastal community of Sepatin Village in East Kalimantan on Friday.

He noted that this initiative stems from his experience as a farmer witnessing the changing conditions of the ponds following the reduction of mangrove coverage.

A similar view was expressed by the Chairman of KTH Mangrove Borneo, Andi Firmansyah, who reported seeing improvements in his pond conditions after Rhizophora-type mangroves were replanted around the area.

“After planting these Rhizophora mangroves, Alhamdulillah, things are starting to recover, and I have experienced this personally in my own pond,” said Firman.

In addition to mangrove rehabilitation, KTH Gemilang Sejahtera Abadi also conducts seedling nursery activities, plant maintenance, and monitoring, while involving the local community in the implementation of mangrove rehabilitation in coastal areas.

The M4CR programme is a mangrove rehabilitation initiative supported by the World Bank, implemented across four provinces: East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Riau, and North Sumatra. In East Kalimantan, the programme involves community groups in the rehabilitation of coastal mangrove ecosystems.