President Encourages Mangrove Forest Rehabilitation Efforts As A Commitment To Facing Climate Change

Photo: Laily Rachev - Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat

JAKARTA - The government is trying to rehabilitate and build world mangrove centers in several provinces as one of Indonesia's commitments in dealing with climate change.

This was conveyed by President Joko Widodo at the Inauguration of the Rumpin Nursery, Launching of Mangrove Rehabilitation, and the World Mangrove Center at the Rumpin Nursery, Bogor Regency, on Friday, June 10, 2022.

"By the end of 2024, at least 600 thousand hectares of mangrove land must have been rehabilitated. As we have done for peatlands. There are in Riau Province, North Sumatra, North Kalimantan Province, East Kalimantan Province, and also in Bali Province," said the President.

The Head of State said that mangrove forests can provide many benefits for the environment. The President said that the steps to rehabilitate mangrove forests are one of the concrete forms of efforts made by the government.

"Starting from nurseries, from nurseries like this, so it is clear and concrete where we are going to make improvements. Because we know that mangrove forests can reduce and absorb carbon 4 times compared to ordinary forests, ordinary tropical rain forests," said the Head of State.

On the same occasion, Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that until 2022, the government has rehabilitated around 140 thousand hectares of mangrove land.

"So the overall target for the President's order is 600,000 hectares. During 2019 to 2022, we have planted and rehabilitated approximately 140 thousand hectares, so it's already pretty good, it can almost be 300 thousand hectares from the target of 600 thousand hectares," said the Minister of LHK.

Furthermore, the Minister of Environment and Forestry revealed that the Indonesian government's efforts to rehabilitate mangrove forests on a massive scale received the support of cooperation from various parties, both domestically and abroad.

"Japan has also started in the 90s and will upgrade the one in Bali. The German one is in Balikpapan, and in North Sumatra as well as in several provinces in Indonesia," said the Minister of Environment and Forestry.

"Besides that, there is also cooperation in support from USAID America. Therefore, it looks very true that Indonesia is indeed the originator of the resolution at UNEA, at the 4th UNEA Environment Convention last year, now it is the 5th. Since then a lot of people have wanted to work together," he continued.