The total area of mangrove
forest in Indonesia was posted at 3.74 million ha or 25% of world’s total
mangrove expanse, of which only 2.85 million ha were in the state of favorable,
the rest were being damaged.
Hilman Nugroho, the Dir. Gen. of River Management and
Social Forestry, Ministry of environmental Affairs and Forestry, made the
Statement. Damaged mangrove forest came to 1.08 million ha or 29% of total
mangrove forest.
The main cause of damage was refunctioning of land for
embankments, settlements, infra structure building and home wastage and yet
mangroves had its important role economically and ecologically for shrimp and
crabs cultivation and other sea bio life.
Therefore the eco system must be safe guarded. The
unaffected virgin mangroves must be protected from damage while damaged
Mangroves must be rehabilited. The process of mangrove rehabilitation takes
time and patience because the fruits would not be visible in 5 – 6 years.
The Government had issued various regulation to enhance
rehabilitation of mangroves. The Ministry of Environmental Affairs had helped
formation of Regional Task Forces in 25 provinces and 21 regencies cities.
Mangrove rehabilitation and 21 regencies cities. Mangrove rehabilitation by the
Government had covered 31,000 ha of mangroves.
Mangroves must be safeguarded because of its high carbon
content. To change mangroves into embankments means to cause sizable glass
house effect.
The carbon content of mangroves was 5 times that of
tropical forest. Therefore to protect mangroves means to maintain climate cycle
in Indonesia and Indonesia could apply for carbon trading trough mangrove
cultivation.
On of the ways to protect mangroves was by exercising
proper space planning in coastal areas and to step up permit procedures for the
communities. For information, mangrove could also serve as medium to mitigate
the effect of Tsunami in some locations where the condition of mangrove was not
too severely damaged. (SS)
Business News - March 6, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment