Jakarta city to unite effort to save mangroves

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post 30 Jul 09;

The Jakarta Environment Management Agency (BPLHD) will launch its Green Belt initiative to bring together various mangrove conservation efforts in the city’s northern coastal area.

The launch, scheduled for this Sunday at the Angke Kapuk protected forest in Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta, will be marked by the planting of 2,000 mangrove trees in a 2,000-square-meter area.

“There have been a number of separate planting drives by various stakeholders in the area, and we aim to unite them to accelerate the regeneration of mangrove forests along the coastline,” BPLHD head Peni Susanti said Thursday.

“Although each stakeholder has carried out separate conservation efforts, the areas they planted now form a circle resembling a belt, so that’s why we came up with this initiative.

“Through this initiative, we hope all stakeholders will intensify their efforts to protect mangrove trees from erosion, which has affected almost half of the total area, particularly in the protected forest,” she said.

The 334-hectare area covered under the Green Belt is divided into several zones, each of which is managed by different stakeholders.