Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post 11 Aug 09;
That mangrove trees can flourish in Tirtohargo village, even as plants in nearby areas fail to develop, is a tribute to the determination of Warsono.
A few years ago, the 71-year-old farmer, who is also known as Mbah Petruk, decided to do something to improve the environment in his remote village in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, where he has lived for decades.
Thanks to the concerns of this grandfather of six, dozens of hectares of mangrove plants in Tirtohargo have taken root and are flourishing. As a demonstration of his characteristic creativity, resourcefulness and determination, Mbah Petruk is willing to protect the mangrove seedlings for no payment.
And there are plenty of predators he must protect them from.
The first hazard, he told The Jakarta Post, were the buffalo. Many residents of the area run their herds of buffalo in the areas where mangrove seedlings were planted. Thousands of seedlings have already been lost to the beasts, whether because they were gobbled up or trampled underfoot.
Instead of losing his temper on seeing his seedlings thus demolished, Mbah Petruk requested a gathering of all the buffalo herdsmen. After a series of discussions, an agreement was reached: If a buffalo should trample or eat a mangrove seedling, the owner of that buffalo would be required to pay a fine.
“My idea of imposing a fine came after almost one year of friendly approaches to the buffalo herdsmen,” Mbah Petruk said. “If a buffalo comes along and eats the mangrove seedlings, we just count how many plants have been destroyed and we charge a fine of Rp 5,000 per plant.”
But even after the buffalo had been dealt with, many of the seedlings kept dying. Closer examination revealed that the plants’ growth was being hampered by the presence of waste – such as dung and plastic waste – and fungal growths.
Tidying up was required. So, to make sure the plants stayed alive, every morning before 6 o’clock Mbah Petruk made time to walk around the mangrove plantation areas, an area that stretches 4 kilometers along the edge of the beach, clearing away any rubbish clinging to the mangrove seedlings or lurking in the area.
He would take a rest every one to two hours, and conducted his routine in conjunction with his farm work. In the afternoon while he was looking for grass to feed his three cows, Mbah Petruk walked around again to clean up any rubbish that had gathered during the day. To make it easier to look after the mangroves, he sometimes kept his cows near the beach, not far from the mangrove plantation area.
“For almost one year, every day I walked around to clean up the rubbish. Well, every day I walked seven kilometers around the mangrove area,” he said. “I didn’t get any payment, but I’m just happy to see the area become green so the crops can grow well, as they do now.”
As part of his work looking after the trees, Mbah Petruk occasionally spreads fertilizer and sprays them to stimulate growth. All the fertilizers and sprays he uses are organic.
Moreover, said Mbah Petruk, “I live in an area near the beach.” Which means that if something happens, such as a tsunami, he and his neighbors will be the first victims. So, he insists, there needs to be a natural barrier in the form of mangrove trees.
Through Mbah Petruk’s hard work, more than 30,000 mangrove trees are now thriving in the area, with the forests having really started to take off in 2006. As well as protecting agricultural crops from the wind, the establishment of the mangrove forests has increased the number of fish.
“The fish get more plentiful because they like a place to lay their eggs which is calm, and that’s around mangrove trees,” he said.
But Mbah Petruk will be the first to admit there was a time he didn’t see the value or significance of mangrove forests.
It was only when he received some training in 2003 and was invited to see mangrove forests in other regions that Mbah Petruk fell in love with the idea and became fiercely determined to ensure his own land and village were thick and green with mangroves.
As a volunteer and conservation motivator, in 2003 Mbah Petruk was paid a salary of Rp 500,000 (US$50) per month by an NGO called Relung.
“For one year I was paid to look after the mangroves,” said Mbah Petruk, indicating the his area of
responsibility, which is now thick with trees.
But since 2004, Mbah Petruk has been employed in a volunteer capacity only. Even without being paid, however, he continues to guard the mangroves to this day.
One achievement that Mbah Petruk is proud of is that other communities, having seen the effects, have started supporting the preservation and development of mangrove forests.
“The community here is committed to being involved in the conservation,” he said. “A long time ago, I was the lone guard of the mangroves, but now I have many supporters. If there are people from outside the area who destroy the trees and one of the community members sees what’s happening, they will certainly immediately come and warn someone.”
