Planting Mangroves In Bengkalis, Jokowi: Rehabilitation Will Continue Throughout The Country

President Joko Widodo (Photo: RI Cabinet Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the movement to rehabilitate mangrove areas will continue to be carried out throughout the country. This is done to control abrasion to support eco-tourism for the community's economy.

He conveyed this when planting mangroves at Raja Kecik Tourism Beach, Bengkalis on the sidelines of his working visit on Tuesday, September 28.

"We will continue to carry out this mangrove rehabilitation, not only in Bengkalis Regency but throughout the country where we really need it," Jokowi said in a video statement posted on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube.

He said that mangrove planting was also deemed necessary to prevent global warming. Moreover, mangrove forests absorb more carbon dioxide than tropical forests on land.

"This mangrove forest stores four to five times more carbon than mainland tropical forests. So it will contribute greatly to the absorption of carbon emissions and this confirms our commitment to the Paris Agreement, to change the world's climate," said the former Governor of DKI Jakarta.

He then ordered his staff to continue to rehabilitate mangrove forests in a number of areas. There are tens of thousands of hectares of forest that must be worked on by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) together with the Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency.

"In 2021, we will rehabilitate 34 thousand hectares of mangroves throughout the country," he said. For information, President Jokowi departed from the capital city of DKI Jakarta to Riau to carry out a working visit.

In addition to planting mangroves at the Raja Kecik Tourism Beach in Bengkalis which was affected by abrasion, he will return to the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base. After that, Jokowi and his entourage will take off to the Riau Islands Province.

Arriving at Hang Nadim International Airport, Batam City, Jokowi will go to Setokok Village, Bulang District, to re-plant mangrove trees with the community. Furthermore, Jokowi and his entourage will return to Jakarta.

During this visit, Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Presidential Military Secretary Marsda TNI M. Tonny Harjono, Commander of Paspampres Major General TNI Tri Budi Utomo, and Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin.