Antara 2 Nov 09;
Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said.
To stop a further deterioration of the mangrove forests, the South Sumatra marine resources and fisheries office was planning to plant 125,000 mangrove seedlings along the coasts of Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts, the office`s head, Lukman Nur Hakim, said here on Monday.
A small team consisting local residents would later be formed to continuously watch over the newly planted mangrove seedlings, he said.
But Lukman admitted the 125,000 mangrove seedlings would not be enough to restore the degraded mangrove forests to their original conditions. Therefore, his office was also planning to do the mangrove replanting along South Sumatra province`s coasts every year and thus gradually increase the number of new mangrove trees.
Lukman said mangroves played an important role in preserving the existence of marine biota and preventing soil abrasion. Mangroves could also help clean the air and reduce the effects of global warming.
In order to maintain the marine environment, Lukman added, his office was continuously monitoring the existence of coral reefs along coastal areas in Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts.
Five spots in the two districts had also been designated as places to cultivate new coral reefs, Lukman said.
According to the official NACA (an inter-governmental organisation promoting rural development through sustainable aquaculture) website www.enaca.org, close to half of mangrove coverage occurs in five countries, i.e. Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico with the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia located in Indonesia.
In general, the mangroves of Southeast Asia were the best developed and most diverse in terms of plants and animals. Fifty two out of the 268 plant species that have been recorded from these mangrove areas are true mangrove species or those that are found only in mangrove habitats while the others are mangrove associated species that are also encountered in non-mangrove habitats.
Eighteen species of mangrove plants are endemic to the south east Asian region and eight out of them are true mangroves.
Current member of NACA are Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. (*)
